H.—3l

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PART lI.—PUBLIC HYGIENE. 1 have the honour to submit my annual report for the year ending 31st March, 1923. SECTION I.—VITAL STATISTICS. Population. The population of New Zealand at the census of 17th April, 1921, was 1,218,913. This total does not include Maoris, whose numbers were separately determined as 52,751. The mean population for 1922 (exclusive of Maoris) was estimated to be 1,251,895. This total represents an increase over the corresponding figure for the previous year of 27,994, or a percentage increase of 2-29. Births. The births of 29,006 living children were registered in the Dominion during 1922, as against 28,567 in 1921 and a yearly average of 27,223 during the pre-war period 1910-14. The birth-rate for 1922 was thus 23-17 per 1,000 of mean population. The general course of the birth-rate during the last ten years is shown in the following table :— Births (Number and Rate) in New Zealand, 1913-22. y Total Number of Birth-rate per 1,000 of 3 ' Births registered. Mean Population. 1913 .. .. .. .. .. 27,935 26-14 1914 .. .. .. .. .. 28,338 25-99 1915 .. .. .. .. .. 27,850 25-33 1916 .. .. .. .. .. 28,509 25-94 1917 .. .. .. .. .. 28,239 25-69 1918 .. .. .. .. .. 25,860 23-44 1919 .. .. .. .. .. 24,483 21-54 1920 .. .. .. .. .. 29,921 25-36 1921 .. .. .. .. .. 28,567 23-34 1922 .. ~ .. .. .. 29,006 23-17 It will be seen that the number of births registered in 1922 is the second-highest over recorded, but the rate is exceedingly low, being, indeed, with one exception (1919) the lowest ever experienced. Still-births.— Still-births, which are defined by the Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act of 1915 as " children which have issued from their mother after the expiration of the twentyeighth week of pregnancy and which were not alive at the time of such issue," are compulsorily registrable in the Dominion. The next table shows the number of such births, and their rate per 1,000 live births, in individual years for the quinquennium 1918-22. Still-births (Number and Rate) in New Zealand, 1918-22. v Total Number of Rate of Still-births Xear - Still-births registered, per 1,000 Live Births. 1918 .. .. .. .. ..701 27-1 1919 .. .. .. .. ..680 27-8 1920 .. .. .. .. ..840 28-1 1921 .. .. .. .. ..903 31-6 1922 .. .. .. .. ..842 22-1 A noticeable feature of the table is the low rate of still-births for the year under review. Note.—Still-births are not included either as births or deaths in the various numbers and rates given elsewhere in this report. Deaths. The number of deaths recorded during 1922 was 10,977, as compared with 1.0,682 in 1921 and a yearly average of 9,370 in the period 1910-14. The Government Statistician gives the crude deathrate for 1922 as 8-77 per 1,000 of mean population, and the standardized death-rate (International Index of Mortality) as 10-70. The following table gives the number of deaths and the death-rate in the Dominion for the decennium 1913-22 :— Deaths (Number and Rate) in New Zealand, 1913-22. „ Total Number Crude (Actual) T , Standardized ' of Deaths. Death-rate. 1913 .. .. ..10,119 9-47 11-92 1914 .. .. ..10,148 9-31 11-85 1915 .. .. .. 9,965 9-06 11-38 1916 .. .. .. 10,596 9-64 11-88 1917 .. .. ..10,528- 9-58 11-66 1918 .. .'. .. 16,364 14-84 16-80 1919 .. .. .. 10,808 9-51 11-75 1.920 .. .. ..12,109 10-27 12-80 1921 .. .. ..10,682 8-73 10-93 1922 .. .. .. 10,977 8-77 10-70 The crude death-rate for the year (8-77 per 1,000 of mean population) is extremely low, and approximates closely that of 1921, which is the lowest on recqrd.