Mar. 21.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 731

By omitting the deaths of infants under one year, and calculating the rate on the population of one year of age and upwards, the position of the four cities as regards magnitude of death-rate remains unaltered.

Deaths per 1,000 of Population, excluding Infants (under One Year of Age).

1897.  1898.      1899.      1900.

      Auckland (excluding suburbs) .. .. 9·64 .. 9·86 .. 9·53 .. 9·72
      Wellington " .. .. 9·35 .. 9·18 .. 8·39 .. 7·65
      Christchurch " .. .. 10·65 .. 8·85 .. 9·16 .. 8·22
      Dunedin " .. .. 10·70 .. 10·87 .. 11·59 .. 10·64

Subjoined is a table showing the rates of infant mortality in the four cities for each of the past five years, together with the mean rates for the period.

Deaths of Children under One Year to every 100 Births.

1896.  1897.      1898.      1899.      1900.      Mean of Five Years.

      Auckland (excluding suburbs) 16·48 .. 12·80 .. 17·14 .. 14·47 .. 14·49 .. 15·08
      Wellington " 10·05 .. 10·59 .. 13·71 .. 12·26 .. 6·65 .. 10·65
      Christchurch " 12·97 .. 12·50 .. 10·00 .. 19·71 .. 11·99 .. 13·43
      Dunedin " 7·83 .. 6·22 .. 9·66 .. 10·20 .. 8·37 .. 8·46

Specific Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.—The mortality from these diseases at Christchurch and Dunedin, with their suburbs, was much lower in 1900 than in 1899 or 1898. At all the four centres the deaths for last year by zymotic diseases were fewer than in 1899. The total deaths in this class were 360 for 1899 and 214 for 1900.

Deaths from Febrile and Zymotic Diseases.

Auckland and Suburbs. Wellington and Suburbs. Christchurch and Suburbs. Dunedin and Suburbs. Total.
1899 .. .. .. .. 110 .. 62 .. 104 .. 84 .. 360
1900 .. .. .. .. 93 .. 37 .. 43 .. 41 .. 214

Of the above, diarrhoeal diseases caused most deaths in 1900 at the four centres taken together, the total number being 93. Influenza came next with 38 deaths, diphtheria and typhoid fever 21 each, whooping-cough 8, measles, scarlet fever, and bubonic plague 1 each, and other zymotic complaints 30.

Comparison of the deaths for each city shows,—

Zymotic, &c., Diseases. Auckland. Wellington. Christchurch. Dunedin.
1899. 1900. 1899. 1900. 1899. 1900. 1899. 1900.
Diarrhoeal Diseases .. 39 57 .. 16 11 .. 61 11 .. 26 14
Influenza .. .. 9 10 .. 9 5 .. 5 9 .. 19 14
Typhoid Fever .. .. 16 8 .. 9 8 .. 5 3 .. 6 2
Measles .. .. 12 .. .. 3 1 .. 13 .. .. 9 ..
Scarlet Fever .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. .. ..
Bubonic Plague .. .. .. 1 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Diphtheria .. .. 2 5 .. 3 6 .. 11 7 .. 3 3
Whooping-cough .. .. 23 .. .. 20 .. .. 2 6 .. 9 2
Other Zymotic Diseases .. 9 12 .. 2 6 .. 7 6 .. 12 6

Parasitic Diseases.—Hydatids were fatal at Auckland (1 death) and Dunedin (2 deaths). These, with 1 death from thrush at Auckland, make a total of 4.

Dietetic Diseases.—These numbered 25, 15 being due to want of breast-milk, or malnutrition, and 16 to alcoholism and delirium tremens.

Constitutional Diseases.—The deaths at the four towns numbered 457 in 1900. The first in importance of these diseases, and of all causes of death, is tubercle. The figures for 1899 and 1900 show 264 and 266 deaths for each year respectively.

Phthisis and other Tubercular Diseases.

1899.                       1900.

      Phthisis. Other Tubercular Diseases. Phthisis. Other Tubercular Diseases.
      Auckland .. .. .. 59 .. 18 .. 47 .. 15
      Wellington .. .. .. 46 .. 12 .. 57 .. 12
      Christchurch .. .. .. 36 .. 22 .. 47 .. 7
      Dunedin .. .. .. 56 .. 15 .. 53 .. 28
      — — — —
      197 .. 67 .. 204 .. 62

The mortality from tubercular diseases for 1900 is 13 per cent. of the total deaths at the four boroughs from all causes. Deaths from cancer fell at the chief towns from 151 in 1899 to 145 in 1900. The latter number is 6·89 per cent. of deaths for the year from all causes.

The number of deaths from cancer at the four chief towns and their suburbs for each of the last five years was as under :—

1896.  1897.      1898.      1899.      1900.

      Auckland and suburbs .. .. 35 .. 30 .. 25 .. 40 .. 32
      Wellington " .. .. 54 .. 29 .. 43 .. 27 .. 36
      Christchurch " .. .. 25 .. 36 .. 43 .. 40 .. 32
      Dunedin " .. .. 36 .. 34 .. 49 .. 44 .. 45
      — — — — —
      150 .. 129 .. 160 .. 151 .. 145

Diabetes shows 15 deaths, the same number as in 1899.

Developmental Diseases.—There were 193 deaths in this class, of which 87 were from premature birth, 84 from old age, and 22 from other causes.

Local Diseases.—Deaths in this class were 11 more than in 1899, the figures being 1,018 against 1,007. Diseases of the respiratory system show 182 deaths for 1900, or more than one-fifth of the whole mortality in the class, against 245 in the former year. Bronchitis, pneumonia, congestion of lungs, pleurisy, and allied diseases form this group.

Under the head of “Diseases of the Digestive System” there were 181 deaths at the four centres, including 60 from enteritis; peritonitis, 19; gastritis, 9; cirrhosis of liver, 8; jaundice, 11; and dentition, 11.

Diseases of the urinary system caused 82 deaths. The remaining deaths were—256 from nervous diseases, 1 disease of organs of special sense, 272 of organs of the circulatory, 6 of the lymphatic, 31 of the reproductive system, 4 of the organs of locomotion, and 3 of the integuments.

Violent Deaths.—There were 110 violent deaths, 90 of which were classed as accidental. Seven of these latter were caused by fractures, and 9 by falls. In 18 cases deaths resulted from the deceased being run over by a cab, cart, wagon, or train. Six deaths were from burns or scalds, 19 by drowning, 8 by suffocation, 4 by poisoning, 4 by misadventure with ether or chloroform; besides 1 from accident at birth, and 14 others.

Seven deaths were returned as homicidal.

Of 13 suicides, 3 were by shooting, 2 by cutting throat, 2 by poison, 3 by hanging, 2 by drowning, and 1 by placing himself on the railway-line.

E. J. VON DADELSZEN,
Registrar-General.

Registrar-General’s Office,
Wellington, 8th March, 1901.

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