1098 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 53

CLASS VII.—VIOLENCE.
ORDER 1:—
Accident or Negligence,—
Dislocation of Hip .. .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. .. 1
Fracture of Skull .. .. .. .. 2 .. .. .. .. .. 2
By Explosion of Cylinder .. .. 2 .. .. .. .. .. 2
Burned .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1
Drowned .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 .. .. .. .. .. 2
Fall (Failure of Heart) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1
Injury to Eye (Septic Meningitis) .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1
ORDER 2:—
Suicide,—
By Poison (Temporary Insanity) .. .. .. .. 1 .. .. 1

CLASS VIII.—ILL-DEFINED AND NOT-
SPECIFIED CAUSES.
Atrophy, &c. .. .. .. 4 .. 1 .. 2 .. 1 .. 8

Totals .. .. .. 21 30 8 20 9 36 10 43 177

It has been remarked that the vital statistics of the four chief centres of population as given prior to March last in the
monthly reports are deficient in a most important particular—i.e., that in striking the death-rates the suburbs have not
been represented and dealt with as well as the cities. It is, no doubt, important to show the mortality in the suburbs, and
the rates may vary considerably from that of the centre in any case. There is, first of all, the factor of sanitary conditions
in the suburbs different from those obtaining in the centre; but, besides this, when the area occupied by a city is to a
great extent full of shops and warehouses, the population will, as time advances, include more and more caretakers, and
fewer families with young children. The suburbs, on the other hand, will include many of these last. The death-rates
will vary accordingly, apart from matters relating to sanitary condition, but perhaps not so much so as might at first be
thought likely, because with a high birth-rate in the suburbs there are sure to be many deaths of infants and very young
children to raise the death-rate; and in a centre occupied by a population including many persons at the higher ages the
death-rate may be also disproportionately increased.

In the first table the deaths and death-rates are given for each city, for its suburban boroughs, and for the city
including the suburban towns. With regard to Auckland and Christchurch, the whole of what are usually considered
the suburbs has not yet municipal government, and the vital statistics do not deal with the portions which still remain
in the road districts. But the omission is not very important, for there are quite enough suburbs included in borough
boundaries in either case to give a fair idea of the death-rate of Greater Auckland and Greater Christchurch. As further
boroughs are formed the vital statistics will be made to include them.

It will be seen that by including the suburban boroughs the death-rate for last month is lowered at Auckland,
Christchurch, and Dunedin, while at Wellington it is raised. The rates for June are,—

Death-rate per 1,000
of Population.
Auckland City .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·28
" and five suburban boroughs .. .. .. .. 1·20
Wellington City .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 0·71
" and three suburban boroughs .. .. .. .. 0·73
Christchurch City .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·14
" and four suburban boroughs .. .. .. .. 1·08
Dunedin City .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·30
" and eight suburban boroughs .. .. .. .. 1·09

Of these the rate for Auckland and suburbs is proved to be the highest, and that for Wellington, with its surrounding
boroughs, the lowest. The rate at Auckland for June, 1·20 per thousand persons, was higher than that for May (1·10).
At Wellington the rate fell from 0·76 per thousand persons in May to 0·73 in June. The rate for Christchurch rose
from 0·67 in May to 1·08 in June, and for Dunedin from 0·95 to 1·09.

Specific Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.—The deaths at the four centres in June numbered 20, against 21 in May.
The total mortality from this class of disease was 11·30 per cent. of the full number of deaths from all causes, against a
proportion of 14·0 per cent. in the previous month. Influenza caused 2 deaths—1 at Christchurch and 1 at Dunedin.
From whooping-cough there were 4 deaths—2 at Auckland and 2 at Dunedin. The greatest mortality in the class was
caused by diphtheria, from which 7 persons died—3 at Auckland, 1 at Wellington, and 3 at Christchurch. There were
2 deaths from typhoid fever at Wellington, and 1 at Dunedin. The above, with 1 death from diarrhoea, 1 from malaria,
and 2 from puerperal septicaemia, complete the total.

Constitutional Diseases.—The mortality in June from these complaints was heavy, amounting to 49 deaths, against 39
in May and 36 in April. There were no less than 21 deaths from cancer—3 at Auckland, 7 at Wellington, 6 at Christ-
church, and 5 at Dunedin. This much-dreaded disease caused more deaths than any other during June in the four centres
and their suburbs. From phthisis there were 19 deaths. Tuberculosis, tubercular meningitis, and tabes mesenterica
caused 6 deaths, and there were 3 from rheumatism.

Local Diseases.—The number of deaths (81) from these causes during June was considerably greater than the number
in May (62). There were last month 23 deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs, 18 from diseases of the digestive
system, 15 from diseases of the nervous system, 14 from diseases of the circulatory system (all heart-disease), 8 from
diseases of the urinary system, 2 from diseases of the reproductive system, and 1 from disease of the locomotive system.

Violent Deaths.—These numbered 11 altogether—10 accidental and 1 suicide. A woman of fifty years was killed by
fracture of the skull caused by falling downstairs; another, eighty-three years, by dislocation of the hip followed by
hemiplegia. An expressman died from fracture of the skull caused by a fall. Two men were killed by the explosion of a
cylinder, and another died from the effects of immersion in Auckland Harbour. A woman aged thirty-five was found
drowned. A woman of seventy died from effects of a burn, and a man of forty-one years from septic meningitis after an
operation to the eye. A girl of seventeen died from stoppage of the heart's action, the result of a fall from a bicycle.
The suicide was of a woman aged fifty-four, who poisoned herself while temporarily insane.