Aug. 9.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1283

CLASS VII.—VIOLENCE—continued.
ORDER 3:—
Suicide,—
By Drowning .. .. .. .. .. 2
By Hanging .. .. .. .. .. 1

CLASS VIII.—ILL-DEFINED AND NOT-
SPECIFIED CAUSES.
Dropsy .. .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. 1
General Debility.. .. .. 2 .. 1 .. 5 .. .. 8
Hæmorrhage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1

Totals .. .. .. 12 49 10 35 9 28 7 39 189

AUCKLAND WELLINGTON CHRISTCHURCH DUNEDIN
AND SUBURBAN AND SUBURBAN AND SUBURBAN AND SUBURBAN
BOROUGHS. BOROUGHS. BOROUGHS. BOROUGHS.
Under 5 Years Under 5 Years Under 5 Years Under 5 Years
5 Years and over. 5 Years and over. 5 Years and over. 5 Years and over.

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 were 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 each of the four centres. The rates for June are,—

Auckland City .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·66
" and five suburban boroughs .. .. .. 1·43
Wellington City .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·23
" and three suburban boroughs .. .. .. 1·17
Christchurch City .. .. .. .. .. .. 1·14
" and four suburban boroughs .. .. .. 0·89
Dunedin City .. .. .. .. .. .. 0·97
" and eight suburban boroughs .. .. .. 0·95

Including suburbs, the rate at Auckland is the highest and that of Christchurch the lowest.

Specific Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.—The deaths in this class at the four chief towns and suburbs were 19 in number, and 10 per cent. of the deaths from all causes. The most fatal zymotic disease was influenza, the deaths from which were 7—4 at Auckland, 1 at Christchurch, and 2 at Dunedin: in June only 2 deaths altogether were returned as due to this cause. Whooping-cough caused 4 deaths in July—1 at Auckland, 2 at Wellington, and 1 at Dunedin. The mortality from diphtheria, which stood at 7 deaths in June, fell to 3 deaths in July. The remaining deaths at the four centres for July comprise 1 death from typhoid fever at Wellington, and 1 from diarrhœa at Auckland, besides a death from erysipelas and 2 from puerperal fever.

Constitutional Diseases.—The deaths from constitutional diseases in July were only 38, against 49 in June. The mortality from cancer—12 deaths—was not so unusually heavy as in June, when the deaths numbered 21; and deaths from phthisis fell from 19 in June to 17 in July.

Local Diseases.—An increase from 81 deaths in June to 92 in July is noticed. Of the deaths in July, 30 were from diseases of the respiratory system—viz., 24 from bronchitis and pneumonia, 3 from pleurisy and congestion of the lungs, and 3 from croup and laryngitis. The deaths from diseases of the nervous system were 20, including 8 from apoplexy and 2 from locomotor ataxia. There were 18 deaths from heart-disease and syncope, 13 from diseases of the digestive system, 10 from diseases of the urinary system (including 4 from Bright's disease), and 1 death from disease of the integuments.

Violent Deaths.—Of 8 deaths, 5 were accidental and 3 suicidal. A child of twelve months and a woman of sixty years died from accidental burning. A boy died from the effects of narcotic poisoning. A woman was suffocated while in bed by the smoke of a burning house, and there was another death by suffocation from a piece of meat causing impaction of the windpipe. Two of the suicides were cases of drowning, and the third was by hanging. In each case a verdict of "Temporary insanity" was returned.

D