HIGHER BIRTHS FIGURE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29365, 18 November 1960, Page 5

HIGHER BIRTHS FIGURE

Comparison For Nine Months

There were more births and marriages and fewer deaths and still-births in New Zealand in the first nine months of 1960 than in the same period of last year, according to the Government Statistician (Mr J. V. T. Baker) in a statement released by the Department of Statistics. Although more infant deaths occurred in tire September quarter than in the other two quarters of the year there were fewer than in the same quarter of last year. The rate decreased from 26.2 a 1000 in 1959 to 25 78 in 1960. Lave births in the September quarter were 15,981. Of these 14,013 were European and 1968 Maori. This gave an equivalent annual rate of 26.88 a 1000 of the mean population. The rates for the third quarter of 1959 were 26.78 for Europeans and 26.26 for Maoris.

For the nine months which ended on September 30 of 1960 there were 46,538 live births, an increase of 469 or 1.02 per cent on the figures for the same period in 1959 (46,069).

European still-births were 220 and Maori still-births 23, making a total of 243 registered in the September Quarter. This gives a rate of 14.98 in a 1000 of total births. There were 6018 deaths registered in the September Quarter. Maori deaths numbered 381 and European 5637. The number of deaths for the nine months ended September 30 was 449 lower than for the same period in 1959.

Infant deaths (children less than one> numbered 412 in the September quarter Of these 331 were and 81 Maori. The number of marriages in the September quarter was 3690. 79 l**ss than in the same period in 1959. Marriages registered during the first nine months of i 960 were 13.5T8, an increase of 257 on last year’s number for the same period.