VITAL STATISTICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4207, 14 September 1874, Page 3

VITAL STATISTICS.

The following are extracts from the Regis-trar-General's report on the 'vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika, during* the month of August, 1874: a _ - o f ° g m ,2 rH '-3 § ‘-P Boroughs. ■a 2 'S j aoSp 3 H. 32 2P 2 §•

N.B.—The Auckland and Hokitika Hospitals are outside the boundaries of the respective boroughs. The persons on hoard ships are not included in the numbers of the population. The births were 316 in August, against 269 in July, while the deaths were 4 more in number than the deaths in July. ' Of the deaths, males contributed 53; females, 55; 53 of the deaths were of children under live years of age, being 49'07 of the whole number; 25 of these were of children under one year of age. The deaths of children under five years of age exceeded those in July by 7. Three females died aged respectively 65, 68, and 71 years; 6 males died between the ages of 65 and upwards, the oldest being 79. Three of the above ft deaths occurred in Wellington, and 3 in Dunedin. The number of deaths from zymotic diseases is the same as in July. There is a slight increase in deaths from constitutional diseases upon the July deaths, but yet they are fewer than they were in June. There were 11 deaths from phthisis, of which 5 occurred in Dunedin; they were all deaths of adults of 23 years and upwards —one of the persons dying from that cause being of the age of 67. The deaths being limited to persons of mature ages, leads to the inference that many of them arrived in the Colony with their lungs already diseased. Deaths from local diseases were less numerous in August, being 12 less than in July —the great reduction being in diseases of the nervous system. Diseases of the respiratory system were, however, on the increase, the deaths from bronchitis alone having increased from 5 to 14. More deaths occurred from diseases of the respiratory system in Christchurch than in any other borough. In Auckland there were 2, in Dunedin 2, in Christchurch 11, and in Wellington 5 deaths of tins class. There appears to have been during August a more than usually heavy rainfall throughout the Colony north of Canterbury. In Nelson the increase was most remarkable, being 14,265 inches hi excess of the average rainfall in former years.

Auckland ' ... 12,775 59 14 1-09 Thames 8,073 36 9 I'll Wellington 10,547 47 16 1-51 Nelson ... 5,662 24 4 070 Christchurch ... 10,294 50 25 2*42 Dunedin 18,499 88 35 1-89 Hokitika 3,352 12 5 1'49 Total 316 108