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New Zealand Times, Volume XLX, Issue 8167, 19 August 1887, Page 4

The vital statistics of New Zealand for July, 1887, have just been issued by the Registrar-General. Of the four cities of New Zealand, Auckland, with a population ®f 35,965, had 101 births and 26 deaths ; Wellington, population 26,956, 68 births, and 31 deaths; Dunedin, population 24=,233, 62 births, 21 deaths; Christchurch, population 15,684, 33 births, IS deaths. The death-rates per--1000 of population were respectively as follow ;—Wellington and Chriathurch, ITS each ; Dunedin, 0 87 ; Auckland, 0'72, Auckland, therefore, on this occasion carries off the palm for health. The Registrar-General further states that in the four cities the births in July were 264 against 273 in June, 'a decrease of 9. The deaths in July were 96 against 88 in June, an increase of 8. There were 12 deaths of persons of 65 years and upward—3 males of 87, 80, and 67, and a female of 81 died at Auckland ; 3 males of 79, 73, and 67, and a female of 80 at Wellington ; a male of- 70 and 2 females of 77 and 73 at Christchurch ; and a male of 68 at Dunedin. There were only 9 deaths from .zymotic diseases in July, including one case of scarlatina at Auckland. From constitutional diseases the mortality at four towns was 20 deaths. Consumption, from which there was only one death in June, caused 9in July, 4 of which occurred at Wellington. Of a total of 44 deaths 18 resulted froradiseases of the respiratory system, including 9 cases of pneumonia against 1 in June. No deaths were caused by diseases of the urinary system, while 7 were registered in June, which lowers the mortality all from local diseases in comparison with that of the previous month. Thera were 12 deaths from ill-defined causes ; among them 10 deaths of cltil dren from debility, inanition, and marasmus are included. This largo number raised the proportion per cent of deaths from these causes from 114 in June to 12-50 in July. The total mortality at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch for Juno and July does not differ greatly. It is not’ced, however, that at Wellington phthisis, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia caused 11 deaths in the later month, but only 9 in the earlier. The total of deaths at Dunedin for July is 21, against 12 for June, a

small increase being found for each class of disease except dietetic. Among the small towns it may be observed that New Plymouth had not a single death in July, so that the death rate was nil.

Sir James Hector's official meterolegical returns for July, 1887, show that the mean temperature of the air was slightly above the average in Wellington and Canterbury, but slightly below in Auckland. The highest shade temperatures recorded were—Auckland, 63 0 ; Wellington, 59 0 ; Canterbury, 57 - 4. The lowest were—3s‘s in Auckland, 36'0 in Wellington, 30 2in Canterbury. Atmospheric humidity was excessive in Wellington and Canterbury, but deficient in Auckland, yet the rainfall was above the average in Auckland, while it was under the average in the other two places.