AUCKLAND'S BIRTH AND DEATH RATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13286, 19 September 1906, Page 8

AUCKLAND'S BIRTH AND DEATH RATES.

DR. FRENGLEY'S REPORT. . SOME- INTERESTING FIGURES. '

HIGH INFANTILE MORTALITY

[bt telegraph..-'—special CORRESPONDENT.]

,-"- . Wellington, Tuesday., . Some interesting ■ figures and observations regarding the .- birth and death-rates-, for. Auckland for the year, 1905, as compared with preceding years, appear in the annual report of Dr. Frengley,"district health officer. . • \ "-■-- . \ ' 'THE BIRTH-RATE. rDealing first with the birth-rate for Auck- V land and suburbs, as compared with the other four oities and suburbs, the report states that for a second year in succession .Auckland City-heads tOte list. The ratesper 1000 of mean population are as follows : Auckland,; - -,-30.06; Wellington) ■ 29.72; Christehurcli, 29.70; Duncdin, 23.90;. mean for the colony,. 27.65; - mean for Auckland and suburbs, 27.88; mean for the four centres, 27.71.

While the birth-rate for Auckland compares favourably with that of the." rest of the colony, it is, says Dr. Frengley, well to recognise that we are only ".comparing ourselves with ourselves." England is lamenting that whereas the birth-rate per 1000 in England and Wales in 1873-77 was 35.8, it had dropped in the period of 1888-92 to 30.8, and by the period of 1898-1902 to 28.8. THE • DEATH-RATE. The death-rate for Auckland and suburbs per 1000 in 1905 was 12.15, as compared with 11.11, in 1 1904. '.For. Auckland and suburbs last year ,it was 10.52 (10.20 in 1904), and for the whole of the four centres .it was 10.43, as against 10.75. in 1904. The mean for the past five years was 13.31 for Auckland City, 12 for ■ Auckland and suburbs, and 11.42 for the four centres. The death-rate for 1905 (excluding children under one year) was 7.96 for Auckland and suburbs (8.11 in 1904), and 8.02 for the four centres (8,30 in 1904). The low rate of infant mortality for Auckland in 1904 gave place last year to something like a mean death-rate, for .1905. .Last year the rate per 1000. births for the city was 10.13, against 6.93 in 1904 and 12.08 in 1903. For Auckland and suburbs' the-rate, last year was 9.15, as against 7.01 for 1904 and 12.15 for 1903. • The average for the four centres last year was 8.59. The means for the past five years were 11.22 for Auckland City, 10.45 for Auckland and suburbs, and 9.74 for the four centres. The rates for the other cities for last, year wore as follows :—Wellington, 10.02; Christchurch, 8.60; Duncdin, 7.21. The moan rate for Auckland City for the three years prior'to 1901 was 15.37. The above figures, says Dr. Frengley, show a "very decided improvement, but as compared with the other cities still leaves something to be done in Auckland for the protection of infant life." The percentage of deaths under five.years to the total deaths last year in Auckland and suburbs was 28.82, as against 24.61 in ' 1904, and 36.38 in 1903. HIGH INFANTILE MORTALITY. J. Dr. Frengley observes : "As shown above the birth-rate of Auckland City, 30.06, compares very favourably . witn that of ..the other chief cities, more especially Dunedin.. This statement, however, should leave no complacent feeling in any Aucklander's.. mind, for while we have the highest birth--,, rate,.yet we also see in the death-rateJjq&j infants that, compared with' the other centies, we lose a larger number of infants before they, reach one year. We learn, that- 1165 little bodies 'arrived into. the world of Auckland City during 1905, but; of these, from the percentage figures of the year, we may foretell that 118.67 boys and 51 girls will never see the' first anniversary' of their birthday."' The figures for Dunedin. are: Total births during the year, 917;' but arguing on the same lines as above, only.66—that: is, 40 boys and 26 girls die before the end of a year. ZYMOTIC DISEASES. •>?; The number of deaths from zymotic dispense in Auckland and suburbs during 1905 was 45, as against 52 in 1904, 86 in 1903, 165 in 1902, and 70 in 1901. "The actual number of deaths from these. causes compares favourably with that of previous years, and maintains the improvement commented upon in last year's report as having characterised 1904. The atmospheric conditions ti'ijjjn alluded to an probably being largely responsible for the smaller number of cases and lower death-rate in zymotic cases have continued with remarkable.uniformity." "' . ' ; , '«t>

OTHER DISEASES. ; ; : Last year there were 49 deaths from phthisis and other tubercular«ceases hi Auckland and suburbs (40 in 1904), the total for the four centres being 211, or 48 fewer than in 1904. Auckland's proportion last year was thus 23 per cent. Cancer accounted for 35 deaths in Auckland last year,' : and for 191 in the four centres, thus.showing Auckland's proportion to be 18 per cent. The following note is appended:—"Deaths from cancer show a steady increase during the past five years, when the totals for the four centres are taken, though the figures for Auckland and its .suburbs in 1905 are below the average for the five years."