1558
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 91

The following remarks apply to the four principal boroughs only: The births in October were 211, against 232 in September, a decrease of 21. The deaths amounted to 80, against 94 in September, a decrease of 14. There were 12 deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards: 2 males of 70 and 68, and 2 females of 78 and 74, died at Auckland; 3 males of 89, 81, and 73, and 1 female of 79, at Wellington; 1 female of 73 at Christchurch; 2 males of 80 and 70, and 1 female of 79, at Dunedin.

Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.—A still lower rate of mortality is again observed; the total number of deaths being only 4 in the four chief towns, or at the rate of 5 per cent of the total deaths from all causes, against 9·57 per cent. in September. Of these 4 deaths, 1 at Wellington was from diphtheria, and 1 from the same cause at Dunedin. Typhoid fever caused 1 death, at Wellington—making 23 from this disease since the beginning of the year, as against 8 at Auckland, 2 at Christchurch, and 1 at Dunedin. There was 1 death at Christchurch from what is termed septic pneumonia.

Constitutional Diseases.—The deaths from this class of disease were 22 in number, as against 21 for the previous month. Cancer caused 6 deaths, against 3 in September and 4 in August. The deaths from phthisis were 8, against 9 in September, 11 in August, and 18 in July. With milder weather the mortality has declined.

Local Diseases.—The proportion of the total deaths at the four centres of population, which was 58·51 per cent. in September, fell to 50 per cent. in October, the number of deaths being 40. Of these, diseases of the respiratory organs accounted for 13, against 21 in September, 18 in August, and 14 in July. Of the 13 deaths last month, 5 took place at Wellington, 4 at Auckland, 1 at Christchurch, and 3 at Dunedin. All were from bronchitis and pneumonia.

Violent Deaths.—The total number was 5, 3 accidental and 2 suicidal. An adult male was accidentally drowned; a child of 7 years accidentally wounded in the neck, causing fatal result; and a woman of 35 years of age was scalded to death during an epileptic fit. One suicide was by poison, another was a case of throat-cutting while temporarily insane.

The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at each of these four boroughs from six principal specific febrile or zymotic diseases, and also the deaths from certain inflammatory diseases of the lungs. These causes of death have been distinguished from the others of the classes to which they belong as being the most important special diseases which give rise to sudden increases in the death-rates of towns, and the prevalence of which is closely connected with sanitary condition and climatic influence of the season on health.

Registrar-General’s Office,
Wellington, 11th November, 1892.

E. J. von DADELSZEN,
Registrar-General.

PROVISIONAL METEOROLOGICAL RETURN FOR OCTOBER, 1892.

NOTE.—This table is prepared from unchecked averages, transmitted by telegraph in anticipation of the full returns, and must not be entirely relied on for compiling Meteorological Statistics.

Meteorological Office, Wellington, November, 1892.

JAMES HECTOR,
Director.