The Evening Post. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1876.

Evening Post, Volume XIII, Issue 36, 12 February 1876, Page 2

The Evening Post. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1876.

The Registrar-General's vital statistics for the month of January are as follows :: — t

The Registrar adds the following general remarks : — " With a very small increase in the number of births, the number of deaths has been greater than during any preceding month since May last. The number of deaths (154) in January, 1876, is, however, less than the number of deaths (160) in January, 1875. The increase in the deaths of last month over those in December is chiefly attributable to the increase of deaths (principally of children under one year) from diarrhoea, the numbers haying-been 31 in January, against 8 in December. Of these deaths in January, 9 occurred in Wellington and 11 in Chnatchuruh. A somewhat similar iucrea.se o'ecured in J«*nuary, 1875, in the number of deaths fruin this cause, the majority of these deaths having then likewise occurred in Wellington audCnristchureh. Di&eases of the respiratory orgaus yielded 7 deaths in Jauuai y, against 18 in December. The violent deaths were much higher than the average, the deaths from drowning having numbered 5 out of the 12 deaths.'' The ¦position of Wellington in these returns atfords matter fur serious reflection, as showing how, in the present utterly undraiueii condition of tlie city, a single slight change of weather may alter its death-race from that of the smallest but one to the heaviest but oue in New Zealand — Christchurch always holding the •wrornt pl»o» of aIL The mean temperature

was below the average at Ghristchureh, Wellington, and Auckland, the three places which had the highest death-rate, but above the average at all the other stations. The rainfall was greatly below the average everywhere excepting in. Auckland, where it was in excess. It should be noted that no return is given for Napier, where no doubt an excess also would be shown, there having been great floods last month over the north-eastern portion of this island. In Nelson the rainfall is returned as nil. The amount of atmospheric humidity was largely above the, average in all parts of the colony.

IFropokBOROUQHS.. Total Bikths. Total Deaths. TIOK OF Deaths per 1000 \.ucklaud Chames A'eliiugton ... Selsou Jhnstclrarch ... Junedin iukitika 46 22 67 23 41 S8 10 32 6 30 14 35 32 5 2.43 .72 2.67 2.39 3.26 1.64 1.43 Total ... 297 154