3

H.—3l

Auckland's mean is still adversely affected by the heavy mortality of the first two years of the quinquennium. Excluding those, Auckland still has a mean of 46 cases out of a mean for the three remaining years of 150 in the four centres, or 32 per cent,, which, as its population is but 2729 per cent, of that of the four centres, is abnormally high. The 133 deaths from zymotic diseases are classified as follows:— Deaths Auckland Auckland in the Four p^'*™ 1 Centre, Propor- ,,. , ~. Centres. tion per Cent. lJiarrhceal diseases .. .. .. 29 16 55 Influenza .. .. .. .. .. 33 11 33 Typhoid fever .. .. ~ . . 14 5 36 Scarlet fever .. .. .. .. 4 ■ 2 50 Diphtheria .. .. .. .. .. 13 2 15 Whooping-cough .. .. ..... 12 Measles .. .. .. .. .. 10 Other zymotic diseases .. .. .. . . 18 6 33 133 42 32 While 1 have to remark here that Auckland centre maintains the improvement in the rate of deaths from zymotic diseases, which I noticed in my last two reports, still the above table shows that the figures are far too high under the heads of diarrhceal diseases, scarlet fever, and typhoid fever, deaths from the former being more than those occurring in the other three centres combined. The table for the atmospheric conditions during the departmental year is as follows: Rainfall. Mean Temperature. 1906. Average. 1906. Average. April ... ... ... ... 310 305 588 61-4 May... ... ... ... ... 4-60 4-21 55-4 57-1 June... ... ... ... ... 1-54 483 51-9 53-8 July... ... ... ... ... 6-80 4-86 517 520 August ... ... ... ... 1-76 4-22 52-1 524 September ... ... ... ... 4-32 339 533 54-8 • October ... ... ... ... 097 3-34 572 570 November ... ... ... ... 5-62 323 598 60-4 December ... ... ... ... 1-77 2-78 635 64-4 1907. 1907. January ... ... .. ... 745 259 67-5 67-1 February ... ... ... ... 5-79 3-50 67-0 67-4 March ... ... ... ... 0-97 2-34 668 643 44-69 42-34 588 59-4 I am indebted to T. Cheeseman, Esq., of the Auckland Museum, for the foregoing figures, and for the following brief record of the meteorological characteristics of each month: — 1906: — April. — Rainfall spread fairly equally over seventeen days. Mean temperature low. May. —Two heavy falls of rain occurred—on the 4th about 1 in., and on the 31st about in. ; otherwise equally distributed. Mean temperature below the average. June. —Rainfall much below the average—on eleven days only. Temperature low. • July. —Rainfall on twenty-six days —heavily on the Bth. Temperature normal. August. —Light rainfall —on eleven days only. Temperature normal. September. —Rainfall above the average, falling on fourteen days, chiefly as heavy showers. Mean temperature below. Ihe average. October. —Very light rainfall —much below the average. Temperature normal. November. —Rainfall, which fell on twelve days only, much above the average, but heavy rain on the 10th and 15th accounting for half the total. Temperature normal. December. —Rain fell on seven days only: on the sth o'B4in., and on the 10th 0 - 70 in. were recorded, accounting for nearly the total. Temperature low. 1907: — January. —An extraordinarily wet month, with heavy floods in country districts: most of the rain fell between the Oth and 16th (on 14th 2 - 15 in., on 15th I'B2 in.), but there was heavy rain at other times. The wind was almost uniformly North-east, which, with normal temperature, produced close unwholesome atmospheric conditions. February. —Again a very wet month, with heavy rain on the 14th (232 in.) and on the 15th (1*42 in.): thus more than the average for February fell on those two days. Temperature normal. March. —Less than half the average rain fell —on seven days only; while the mean temperature was for the first time for more than two years materially in excess of the average. Notwithstanding the light rainfall, the atmospheric condition was, thanks to the still prevailing north-east wind, moist and depressing.