VITAL STATISTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10597, 18 February 1896, Page 7

VITAL STATISTICS.

The followibg are the vital statistics for the year 1895 for tha four chief centres and suburbs, tha table showing the mean population of, the boroughs, and the proportion of births and deaths to the 1000 of the mean population : —

The total Dumber of births registered as occurring ia the four chief centres and suburbs in 1895 was 4570, as against 4419 for the previous year. The actual decrease is not quite so large as tfc first sight it would appear to be, for in 1894 too high a return wits received from the Borough of Birlrenhcad, owing to a mistake iv deiiaing the borough boundaries, so that the births in that place, which last year were only 17, were given for the previous ye»r as 34, or probably double the true number. The births in the four cities fell from 2790 in 1894 to 2722 in 1895, while the births in suburban* boroughs rose slightly from 1629 lo 1648. By the inclusion of the suburbs the rate is raised at all-the chief towns: esoentiinjE AuckTand, A*-ia-189*. Weflhurton

has jhe-highest rates, Anekhnd, CtfrWehnrcb,] undDnnedin following at King intervals. Tha; difference botwaen the Wellington rats'' (2928) and tho Dunedin rate (21"65) is »cry marked. The birth rate for the whole colony for last year was 2678 psr thousand. Wellington is thus well above the average, while Chsistchurch and Dunedin fall considerably below it. It is noticeable that the number of births registered last year at Daoedin wbs smaller than tlio number registered there during any one of the four preceding years. : The total number of deaths registered for the four oentras in 1895 wa9l962—namely, 1368 in cities and 591 iv suburbs. In 189? the number wan 19.64—1354 in thecities and.6l.oia, suburbs. Thus there w» last year a small increase in tho city deaths, while.in the number of suburban deaths there was really yery little: change, for the difference of 16 is in a great measure accounted for by the erroneous return from Birkenhead nbove-mentioned. By including the suburbs, the dsatb rate for the last year is lowered at each -of the four centres^ the difference being considerable— in Auckland J.-57, and in Dnnedin 1-06. The death, rats is thus highest in Auckland and lowest in Dunedin, Wellington and Chrißtcb.ur.ch taking second and third places respectively, The death rate for fie colony was 991 par 1000 of the mean population. The four centres might each be expected .to show a higher average than thi3, and, in fact, the exoecs is considerable both at Auckland and at Wellington, and is found, though in smaller me&eurs, ati Cbristcburch ; but at Dunedin, owing to the slight mortality iv the suburbs, the average falls decidedly short of tho general rale for the colony. Excluditg the suburbs, and d«p.lfajg only with the deatha in the four central cities, the figures for 1895 oxceed those far Bny previous year, excepting only 1893, the year of the measles epidemic. .

• The population of the colony for 1895, exclusive of Maoris, is estimated at:

Males „ ... ... 369,725 ■ Females ■ ... ... 328,931 • Which, with f 1,993 Natives, gives a total of ■ 740,699. Chiiif se are included ia the population given above. The number in New Zealand on tho 31sfc Dscember' 1895 w»b catim&ted1 to' be 4150, of whom 17 were females. The European population increased at the rate of I'B3 p er ceafc. d»riuglß9s. The rate of increase in 1594 was' 2OS per cent. ;in 1893,3 36 per cent.; ia 1892, 258 per cent.'; audinlß9l,l37 percc-nt.

The birth rats for the colony for 1895 Was 26 78 per 1000 of the mean poDulatioa and the death riite 991, as against 2728 and 1019 respectively in 1694. . The number of births in 1895 (18.546) slightly exceeded the number in 1894 (18,528), while fcbo death* in 1895 (6863) were fewer than in 1894 (6918) by 55, conse?;uently with the increased population the rates or 1895 are lower than in the previous year. • •

The number of marriages (excluding thcs». contracted between Maoris) solemnised in 1895 is estimated at 4150, giving a rate of 5 99 per 1000 of the mean population, against 4178 and 615, the actual number and rate in 1894,

a a Ac 5 o ■So 1! Ac u I I a Is ■ Auckland and suburbs . ... Wellington and suburbs Chriatchureh and suburbs. Dunedin and suburbs a. Totals ... Dunedin City... Caversbnm .:; Maori Hill ... Morninetou ... NX Valley ... Roslvn ... St. Kilda S. Dunedia ... "West Harbour 43,007 39,036 42.4S6 I 49,614 1153 1142 1001 1074 4370 26-81 29-26 23 66 i 81-65 | 2509 "l9-87 21-90 19-05 S-18 23-41 2177 23-13 28-85 18-61 572 488 448 | 454 1902 244 75 13 28 23 £9 3 31 8 13-30 12-60 10-54 _W5 11-27 10-21 1550 8-84 7-05 5T» 717 2-39 658 5.51 23,902 4,849 1,470 3.9!i9 3,972 4,042 1,254 4,714 1,451 475 10S 28 92 93 88 29 138 27