2

H.—3l.

The following are the death-rates after excluding the deaths of children under one year :— Auckland and Average of Suburbs. Four Centres. 1901 .. •• ■• •• 8-65 8-96 1902 '.'. 11-10 9-56 1903 : 8-57 " 9-14 1904 8-11 8-30 1905 •• •• 7-96 8-02 Infant Mortality. The extraordinarily low rate of infant mortality recorded for Auckland in 1904 gives place to something like a mean death-rate over the year 1905, and the following is the comparative table of deaths under one year to every 100 births : — Auckland Auckland and Average for City. [Suburbs. Four Centres. 1901 . .. .. •• •• 11-57 9-88 9-70 1902 .. ■ • 15-41 14-07 11-94 1903 .. •• ■• 12-08 12-15 942 1904 . .. •• 6-93 7-01 903 1905 10-13 9-15 8-59 11-22 10-45 9-74 Auckland City's position in this respect with regard to the other three principal cities is as follows : 190."). Mean for Five Years. Auckland 10-18 11-22 Wellington 10-02 10-45 Christchurch •• B'6o 10-82 Dunedin .. .. .. ■• 721 8-18 N.B.— The mean rate for Auckland City for the three years prior to 1901 was 15-37. The above figures show a very decided improvement, but, as compared with the other cities, still leave something to be done in Auckland for the protection of infant life. This death-rate is better than that of England and Wales, where the falling birth-rate and excessive death-rate among infants are held to mark a period of national physical degeneracy. Improper feeding and insanitary surroundings are causes of the latter feature, and these are capable of control. The percentage of deaths of infants under five years to the total deaths is : — Auckland and Mean in the i Suburbs. Four Centres. 1901 .. .. •• ■■ •• 30-15 27-68 1902 .. .. •• •• •• •• 38-47 32-40 1903 .. .. • • • • • • • • 36-38 27-96 1904 .. ■■ ■• •• •• 24-61 26-70 1905 28-82 27-07 As shown above, the birth-rate of Auckland City, 30-06, compares very favourably with that of the other chief cities, more especially Dunedin. This statement, however, should leave no complacent feeling in any Aucklander's mind, for while we have the highest birth-rate yet we also see in the deathrate of infants that we, compared with the other centres, lose a larger number of those that are born before they reach one year. We learn that 1,165 little bodies arrived into the world of Auckland City (38,754) during 1905, but of these from the percentage figures of the year we may foretell that 118 67 boys and 51 girls—will never see the first anniversary of their birthday. The figures for Dunedin (38,366) are, total births during year, 917 ; but, arguing on same lines as above, only 66—that is, 40 boys and 26 girls —die before the end of a year. Had Auckland with its vaunted large number of births been as careful of its infants as Dunedin it would be able to boast of thirty-four more lives at the end of a year. Instead of the waste of 118 little ones, she would have lost but eighty-four—thirty-four fewer mothers like " Rachel weeping for her children." And well may it be added, what avail all " the pangs and fears that women have "if the proudly proportionate pregnancies of Auckland City give this barren result ? Causes of Deaths. Deaths from Zymotic Diseases. For the purposes of this report it will suffice to give the Registrar-General's returns with regard to deaths from zymotic causes in Auckland and the five suburban boroughs :— Deaths in Total of Auckland Auckland and Four Proportion Suburbs. Centres. of Deaths. Per Cent. 1901 .. .. •• •• •■ •■ 70 209 33 1902 .. .. •• •• -165 356 46 1903 .. .. .. .. •• -86 256 33 1904 . .. ".. • • • ■ .. 52 202 26 1905 .. .. ■• 45 115 39 Mean for five years .. .. .. .. 84 228 37