HEALTH OF THE CITIES

Evening Star, Issue 16911, 7 December 1918, Page 10

HEALTH OF THE CITIES

DOMINION COMPARISON.

Tin? claim that from a health standpoint no city in the Dominion has achieved such progress «s Auckland during the last 15 years was made by tho Chief Sanitary Isspector (Mr G. T. Harm's) at the last meeting of the Auckland City Council. He said that this oo it I'd bo best s.i-own by a brief comparison of the vital istatu-xios. Tho average annual dcalh-i.itcs per 1,000 of population for tho quinqui utiia-1 periods ended 1902, 1907, 1912, and 1917 were 14.25, 12.42, 12.18, and 11.03 respectively The annual deathrales of tho four principal cities ami their suburbs afforded a bolter means of comparison. Tho figures for fhc last five yearn were: —.

“Although this shows Auckland' ns occupying second place,” said Mr Haynes, “it is noted in the Official Year Book that Wellington h<w proportionately fewer old people than the other three centres. This largely explains its lower average death-rate. Dunedin, on the other hand, has a larger proportion of old people in its population than Auckland or Christchurch, and has oonsc quonfly the highest death-rate of all four centres. When it is remembered that New Zealand has a lower death-raws than any of the Australian States, which again have considerably lower rat-re than other countries, tho Auckland dea h-rate must be considered small indeed—almost ideal—compared with sumo places. It needs but slight knowledge of the poverty, alcoholism, and lack of personal hygiene and responsibility of 60 many to recognise the great improvements jet to bo made. In this connection, many suggestions have been made, all more or leas applicable, but a health movement is not simply a question of more sanitary legislation, or its stridor enforcement, or more inspectors, or even of women inspectors, but of educating the pub-lio and forming a public health conscience."

Ancle. WcM. C'ncb. Dun. 1915 ... 10.61 9.08 10.15 11.03 1914 ... 9.42 10.47 9.58 10.22 1915 ... 9.05 9.71 9.01 11.03 1916 ... 9.58 9.45 10.84 11.74 1917 ... 10.45 9,37 11.04 11.53