BIRTH DECLINE ARRESTED

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1931, Page 7

BIRTH DECLINE ARRESTED

FEWER DEATHS LAST YEAR.

REVIEW BY STATISTICIAN.

A preliminary indication of the principal Vital statistics of the Dominion for the year ended December 31, 1030, id given by the Government Statistician in ligured which he ha? gathered relating to the 14 urban areas of New Zealand. , . ~ ~ Dealing with this subject in the Abstract of Statistics, he eays that the annual decline in the number of , births remsteyed in the urban areas, in evidence since 1926, hap been arrested d u J* ing 1930, although the increase ot 45 in the number is insufficient to produce anything but a steadying up of the downward movement of the birth rate. The. tendency is a favourable one, particularly in <dew of 'the economic situation, but the Dominion. birth rate figure ip not likely to show any improvement on the 1929 record- . , What i? perhaps of greater interest a? regards births, however, is the welcome decrease in the nuffibrir of stiUbirtlis registered. During 1930 a total of 4bS Still-birth? was registered in the urban hrean, corresponding to h rate of 32.56 per 1000 live births. This compares very favourably W.ith the previous year’s figures of 419 still-births and a rath of 33.54. . ... . With regard to deaths, the position is much more satisfactory than that disclosed by the figures of bftths. In spite of a slight increase of 15. in the number of deat)is registered in the urban Areas, the d?ath rate has reverted to the 1928 level of 9.03 per 1000 ot population. The Dominion rate is invariably slightly lower than the urban ajja figure?, so that a continuation of the low level' proniiiicnt in the former figures for gome years may confidently be predicted. A study of the causes ot death reveals tpe important fact that epidemic diseases on die whole were conspicuously quiescent among the urban population during 1930. Deaths from motor vehicle accident?, while attaining a high figure (Hl) ih common with most highly civilised countries of the world, nevertheless register an increase of only tlifee cOtrlpared with 1929. The low nite of infant mortality established iu New Zealand, with its anililal phenomefiaj reduction?, has been a matter of iritrirnatiohal interest ior some years. The urban area figures fbr 1930, however, indicate that a temnorarv halt has been arrived at. The rate for 1929 was 38.16 per 1000 live births, and this figure was exceeded Slightly in 1930, when a rate of 38./U was recorded. The Dominion figure for 1930 will in all probability be a Pl n ’°-V imately at the same level as in 19-9; when the record low rate of 34.10 was recorded.