EDITORIALS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 839, 30 March 1888, Page 28

EDITORIALS.

An Auckland Freak.

A very interesting report has just been issued by the Registrar-General of New Zealand on the vital statistics of the four New Zealand cities for the year 1887. He explains that the publication of the report has been unavoidably delayed, in the expectation of being able to give a fairly correct estimate of the Auckland population. This expectation proved vain, for the Registrar says : It is necessary to remark on the absence of any statement of birth or for Auckland. There is no means of obtaining correct returns of the population for the years intervening between the census years, as the movements of the people from one locality to another cannot be checked. The estimate.! given have been calculated on the basis of the number of inhabited houses at the beginning of each year, the numbers having been supplied by the several Town Clerks. The correctness of these depends on the accuracy of the borough officers in fully distinguishing between houses actually occupied and uninhabited dwellings, stores, and shops. The return of inhabited bouses recently supplied from Auckland yielded, on calculation, so large an increase to the population that, having regard to the general reports respecting the large numbers of empty houses in the borough, it was returned for reconsideration. A fresh statement was sent, which gave a reduced number, but was admittedly imperfect. Even this yielded so large an increase on the number estimated in 1886 that it appeared unsafe to use it. There seemed no alternative but again to give the estimated number at the commencement of 1887 ; but it is deemed that even this number is too high, and consequently no death-rate has been given, as it would probably have been used, and been misleading. If the death-rate had been calculated on the stated population, it would have been 10‘4S per thousand. That the stated population is too great, and that such death-rate would be too low, is evident from a consideration of the number and the rates of births and deaths for the past five years. Evidently there iB something shaky about the Auckland mode of compilation, and some explanation seems imperatively called for. It is vexatious to find these useful and interesting statistics thus rendered defective. Omitting Auckland and turning to the other three cities we find the respective death rates per thousand of population were as follow:—Wellington, 15 55 ; Christchurch, 1317; Dunedin, 11’65. This last is extraordinarily low, and speaks well for the salubrity of the southern capital. The births during 1887 were: —Auckland, 1076 ; Wellington, 984; Christchurch, 449 ; Dunedin, 644. The deaths were: — Auckland, 377 ; Wellington, 429 ; Christchurch, 210 ; Dunedin, 283. Coming next to the causes of death we find that the most fatal disease was diarrhoea, which killed 144 persons — all but nine, however, being children —during the year, viz.: 68 in Auckland, 43 in Wellington, 16 in Christchurch, and 17 in Dunedin. As usual, consumption stands next, causing no fewer than 113 deaths, viz. : 29 in Auckland, 35 in Wellington, 18 in Christchurch, and 31 in Dunedin. Bronchitis carried off 65 victims, valvular heart disease 57, cancer 56, pneumonia 40, and typhoid fever 38; no other disease approaching these in the number of deaths it caused. Among what may be termed “ special ” causes of death may be mentioned delirium tremens, to which 3 were due, and. alcoholism, which was accountable for 6; “necrosis of internal ear,” 1; “ vomiting,” 1 ; goitre, 1; circumcision, 1; sunstroke, 1; accident or negligence, 49 ; suicide, 10. The death rate in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin was considerably smaller in 1887 than in 1886. That at least is very satisfactory hearing. To one noteworthy point the Registrar directs attention, namely, that the ratio of infant mortality is much higher in the North Island than in the South, from which fact he deduces the conclusion that “ the probabilities of the survival of infants and of all children under 5 years of age are much greater in both Dunedin and Christchurch, than in either Wellington or Auckland.” Respecting particular zymotic diseases the Registrar remarks :

In 1885 and 1886 diphtheria was most fatal in Wellington ; but in 1887, 11, or more than half, of the deaths from that cause occurred in Christchurch, Wellington being in the next place with f> deaths, or one-fourth of the entire number. Of the 38 deaths from typhoid fever, 21, or more than 55 per cent, occurred in Wellington. Fewer deaths from typhoid fever occurred in these years in Christchurch than in either of the other boroughs ; but, as allowance must be made for the much larger poDulation of Dunedin than of Christchurch, .Dunedin may be considered as the most free from this disease.

It is gratifying to notice that there has been a steady diminution during the last two years in the mortality from consumption, which was 145 in 1885; 132 in 1886, and 113 in 1887.