106. THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 4

CLASS VII.—VIOLENCE.
ORDER 1:—
Accident or Negligence,—
Knocked down by cab ..
Run over by railway-engine
Fell and injured kidney ..
Burned—burned while drunk
Drowned ..
Choked ..

ORDER 3:—
Suicide,—
By shooting ..
By hanging ..

CLASS VIII.—ILL-DEFINED AND NOT-
SPECIFIED CAUSES.
Marasmus, &c. ..

Totals ..

It has been remarked that the vital statistics of the four chief centres of population as given in the monthly reports prior to March last were deficient in a most important particular—i.e., that in striking the death-rates the suburbs were not represented and dealt with in the same way as the cities. It is, no doubt, important to show the mortality in the suburbs, and a suburban death-rate may vary considerably from that of the centre in any case. For, in the first place, the centre and the suburbs may differ in the matter of sanitation, &c.; and, moreover, when the area occupied by a city is largely taken up with 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 December are,—

Auckland City ..
" and five suburban boroughs
Wellington City
" and three suburban boroughs
Christchurch City
" and four suburban boroughs
Dunedin City ..
" and eight suburban boroughs

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

Specific Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.—The number of deaths from this class of disease at the four centres with their suburbs during December was 18, being an increase of 3 on the number for November, and of 5 on the number for October. Among the deaths for December are found 4 from diarrhœa—3 at Auckland, 1 at Wellington; and 3 from typhoid fever—2 at Auckland, 1 at Wellington. Influenza, which did not show as a cause of death for November, re-appeared last month with 2 deaths at Christchurch and 1 at Dunedin. Deaths from whooping-cough fell from 5 in November to 2 in December, both at Christchurch. The remaining deaths for December were—1 from scarlatina (Dunedin), 1 from diphtheria (Auckland), 1 from remittent fever (Auckland), 1 (an infant), from congenital syphilis, and 2 from puerperal fever.

Constitutional Diseases.—The mortality from constitutional complaints (32 deaths) in December was higher than that for November, when the deaths were only 26, but nevertheless lower than in October, when the number reached 49. Deaths from phthisis have fallen with the advance of the season from 23 in October and 14 in November to 10 in December. Besides these 10 deaths from phthisis, there were in December 4 from tubercular meningitis, 3 from tuberculosis, and 2 from tabes mesenterica. The deaths from cancer, which were only 6 in November, increased to 9 last month. From diabetes there were 2 deaths.

Local Diseases.—These deaths decreased from 68 in November to 57 in December, made up as follows: From diseases of the nervous system, 16; of the circulatory system, 13; of the respiratory system, 9; of the digestive system, 9; of the urinary organs, 6 (Bright's disease, 4); of the reproductive organs, 3; and of the organs of special sense, 1.

Violent Deaths.—Of a total of 10 deaths, 7 were caused by accidents: an aged woman was knocked down by a cab and killed; a labourer was killed on a railway-line by an engine; a butcher met his death from injury caused by a fall; a farmer and a shoemaker were accidentally burnt, the latter stated to have been intoxicated; a child was drowned in a well; and a letter-carrier choked by carbolic acid used as a gargle. The suicides were 3: an accountant and a policeman shot themselves, and a labourer hanged himself. In each case there was a verdict of "Temporary insanity."

Death-rate per 1,000
of Population.
1·18
1·13
0·71
0·68
0·68
0·60
0·80
0·74