H—3l

Maternal Mortality. —Here again the Maori figures are not available. For Europeans the maternal-mortality rate, including deaths from septic abortion was 2*05 per 1,000 live births, as compared with 2-24 in 1945. After excluding deaths from septic abortion, the rate was 1-76 (1-94 in 1945). Summary oj Vital Statistics, 1946 ' European. Maori. Combined. Population, mean .. .. .. 1,659,145 102,254 1,761,399 Birth-rate per 1,000 population .. .. 25*24 56-49 27-05 Death-rate per 1,000 population .. 9-70 15-91 10-06 Infant-mortality rate per 1,000 live births .. 26-10 74-62 31-99 Death-rate, tuberculosis, all forms, per 10,000 population .. .. .. .. 3-38 39-04 5-43 This table shows at a glance the main differences between the European and the Maoris in respect of vital statistics. PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF DEATH (Europeans only) The following table gives the main causes of death for the year 1945, and the deathrates therefrom per 10,000 of mean population for that year and the preceding four years. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining detailed statistics so early in the year, no attempt has been made, as in previous years, to supply this information for the year immediately past. The corresponding figures for 1946 will appear in next year's annual report.

* Owing to an alteration in the international agreement as to the allocation of deaths to various causes, the figures for these two conditions are not separately comparable with the figures for years before 1940.

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1945. Cause. 1944 : 1943: 1942: 1941: Rate. Rate. Rate. Rate. Number. Rate. Heart-disease (all forms) 5 ,655 35-48 33-49 33-68 36-41 31-55 Cancer 2 ,213 13-88 14-02 13-85 13-13 13-18 Violence 784 4-92 5-37 6-06 5-76 5-64 Pneumonia 222 1-39 1-32 j 1-41 1-52 1-48 Pneumonia (secondary to influenza, whooping32 0-20 0-31 0-17 0-81 0-38 cough, and measles) Bronchitis 181 1-14 1-14 1-40 1-36 0-94 Broncho-pneumonia 283 1-78 1-82 1-67 211 1-98 Tuberculosis (all forms) Kidney, or Bright's, disease 603 3-78 3-81 3-72 3-94 3-88 417 2-62 2-80 2-83 3-19 3-66 Apoplexy or cerebral haemorrhage 1 ,636 10-26 9-28 9-79 9-90 8-95* Diseases of the arteries 251 1-57 1-23 1-22 1-22 1-14* Senility 463 2-90 2-94 3-17 3-02 3-13 Diabetes 319 2-00 2-10 2-16 2-28 2-22 Hernia and intestinal obstruction 125 0-78 0-74 0-65 0-74 0-73 Diseases and accidents of childbirth (puerperal 83 0-52 0-58 0-44 0-55 0-76 mortality) Appendicitis .. .. .. 60 0-38 0-50 0-47 0-44 0-55 Diarrhoea and enteritis .. .. 125 0-78 0-64 0-58 0-50 0-54 Epilepsy 45 0-28 0-30 0-46 0-53 0-43 Common infectious diseases — Influenza (all forms, including pneumonia) .. 53 0-33 0-40 0-42 1-61 0-49 Diphtheria .. .. .. 42 0-26 0-19 0-21 0-16 0-11 Whooping-cough 8 0-05 0-29 0-11 0-03 0-44 Scarlet fever 13 0-08 0-17 0-01 0-01 0-01 Typhoid and paratyphoid 3 0-02 0-02 0-02 0-05 0-05 Measles 10 0-06 0-05 0-20 0-03