Nation Making

New Zealand Graphic, Volume V, Issue 49, 6 December 1890, Page 2

Nation Making

A STORY OF NEW ZEALAND SAVAGEISM & CIVILIZATION

By

J. C. FIRTH.

Chapter XXXVIII

THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE

New Zealand compared with other countries as to health and disease—Birth rate—Children per marriage —Excess of births over deaths—llligitiniacy—Mean death rate— Death* from zymotic, parasitic, and dietic disease —Deaths from pulmonary consumption—l>eaf and dumb persons—Blindness —Lunacy— New Zealand exceeds all countries in vitality and health.

« - PR< *l** >SE in this chapter to exhibit the conditions of life as to health and • * disease in New Zealand as compared < with various colonies and countries. ? * f° r r^e reason t h &t * n nat i° n making !• whilst the fertility and position of i IrzVS * any 001111 try with the ambition to ' • become a nation are of very great ► |< j importance, the conditions existing I■ in it, for the health and life of its inhabitants, are of very much more importance if a nation is to take high rank in the future. For the information supplied in the following tables of vital statistics I am indebted to the valuable Year Book compiled by Mr Hayter, the eminent Government Statist for the colony of Victoria.

TABLE I. BIRTH RATE IN 1.000. Average of 23 years—lB6s to 1887. New Zealand 39'40 highest known except Queensland with . 39'65 Average of 4 years —lBB2 to 1886. New Zealand has a higher birth rate than any European nation. TABLE 11. CHILDREN PER MARRIAGE. Average of 7 years—l3Bo to 1886. Erance 2*98 Sweden .. .. 3'55 England 4'16 Belgium ?. - 4“21 Tasmania 4'29 Victoria 4*34 Queensland .. 4'62 Ireland .. .. 5'46 New Zealand.. .. 5'48 Mr Hayter says: ‘Of the Australasian colonies New Zealand is the one in which the births have always exceeded rhe deaths by the highest proportion. In not one of fifteen European countries did the births double the deaths in any year of the )»eriod 1881—1885. On the other hand, in the Australasian colonies it is the exception for the births not to be double the deaths, and in one of them—New Zealand—it is the exception for the births not to be three times as numerous as the deatlis. This is, no doubt, promoted by the salubrity of the New Zealand climate, but still more so by the circumstance of the population l»eing spread oyer the ■cnuntry or dispersed through a number of small towns instead of being, to a great extent, crowded into a few large cities, as is too mu< h the case in the other colonies.’ TABLE 111. EXCESS PER < EXT. OF BIRTHS OVER DEATHS IN AUSTRALASIA EOR 10 YEARS—IB77 TO 1886. New Zealand 240 South Australia 163 New South Wales ..... . 145 Western Australia . 114 Victoria .. 112 Queensland 112 Tasmania • -- •• Hl IX EUROPEAN COUNTRIES—IBB2 TO 1886. Norway . .. .. 84 England and Wales . .. .. ..71 Scotland - - 70 Belgium |7 Germany 43 Italy Switzerland -• .35 Ireland 31 Austria France - - .10

Showing that for one idiot in New Zealand there are thirteen idiots in the United States. The-e figures tell their own story. They show that with one triHing exception New Zealand has a greater birth rate ; a greater number of children per marriage; a greater per centage of births over deaths ; a greater percentage of increase of population ; a smaller percentage of illigitiniacy: a smaller percentage of concubinage; a smaller death rate of infants under oue year ; a lower general death rate : a lower death rate in zymotic, parasitic, dietic, hydatids, atrophy, debility and pulmonary consumptive diseases ; a smaller percentage of deaf and dumb (>eisons ; a smaller percentage of blind persons ; a smaller jercentage of lunacy and idiocy—so far as returns are given—than any country in the world. They proclaim New Zealand to lie in every respect at the head of all other countries for vitality and liealth, as a land offering the most favourable conditions of life, and present a striking confirmation of the remarkable salubrity of the climate of the colony, as displayed in the splendid physique of the Maoris, the aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand. (TO BE CONTINUED.!

TABLE IV. MKXX 1SM U INCREASE BY EXCESS OF IN 1376 TO 1885. New Zealand . . 2*78 per cent. South Australia . 2*39 .. New South Wales . 2-28 .. Queensland . 1*90 .. Western Australia 1’82 .. Tasmania . 1-72 .. Victoria .. England and Wales Russia V6 £ •’ . 1’36 Scotland 1*33 .. Denmark . 1T6 .. Holland . 1T5 „ Belgium *91 .. Ireland *86 .. Italy . *77 .. Austria *74 .. I nited States •70 .. Spain *48 .. F ranee *16 In the percentage of population by excess of births over deaths New Zealand stands at the head of all other countries. TABLE V. ILLEGITIMACY IX EVERY IUU Austria .. 12-9 Scotland 8* 5 France 7*38 England l* 9 New South \\ ales 1*27 V ictoria 4*17 Tasmania 4*15 Queensland Ireland 2* 4 New Zealand 238

TABLE VI. CONCUBINAGE 1 In Queensland In New South Wale*- . In Victoria In New Zealand Al STRALAsIAN COLONIES. Single women 1 in 13 was living immorally. .. 1 in 19 1 in 22 1 in 23 do. do. do. These tables show that in purity of domestic life, one of the surest foundations of the home, the family, and the nation, New Zealand holds the first position. TABLE VII. DEATHS OF INFANTS UNDER 1 YEAR OF AGE PER 100. Ireland 9*2 New Zealand 9*65 Tasmania .. 10*4$ Scotland 11* 8 New South M ales 11*45 Victoria 12'35 Queensland 1315 South Australia . 14 41 England and U ales 14* France legitimate) .. 14’7 France lilligitimatei .. 29* S TABLE VIII. MEAN DEATH RATE PER 1.000 OF MEA N POPULATION. In Australasian colonif In European countries 1865—1387. 1382—1886. Queensland 17*92 Hungary 33*4 Western Australia 16*42 Austria 30*0 New South \\ ales 15*62 Italy 27*3 Victoria 15*57 Germany 25-9 Tasmania 15*33 Spain 25*8 South Australia New Zealand 14*84 11*90 France .. Switzerland .. 22*2 20*7 In British Possessions England and Wales Scotland 19*4 19*3 Mauritius 32* 5 Denmark 18-5 Malta 27* 0 Ireland.. 18*1 West Indies.. 24* 2 Sweden 17*5 Ceylon 21* 6 Norway 16*9 St. Helena 13* 2 Nova S<otia . 12* 1 The death rate being lower in New Zealand than in any other country. TABLE IX.? DEATHS IN THE AUSTRALASIAN COLONIES PER 10.000 LIVING PERSONS. From Zvmotic. Parasitic and From Hydatids I he tic Diseases—1873 to 1382. 1882 to 1886. Queensland Victoria 52*7 Victoria 5*79 41*7 South Australia 3*54 South Australia 38*6 ■Tasmania 2*83 New South Wales 36*4 New South Wales 2*05 Tasmania 31*2 Queensland 1*29 New Zealand 30*5 New Zealand *66 From Atrophv and Debility From Pulmonarv Constimp1882—1886. lion 1873—1886. Queensland 12*45 Queensland .. 14*31 South Australia 11*12 \ ictona 13-49 New South M ales.. 10*42 New South Wales.. 10*86 Victoria 9*80 Tasmania 10*46 Tasmania 9*39 South Australia . 10*07 New Zealand 5*57 New Zealand 8*64 DEATHS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES FROM PULMONARY CONSUMPTION PER 10.000 PERSONS living. 1881—1884. Austria 38*39 Italy 25*54 Massachusetts 34-25 Ireland 22 43 Prussia 39*88 Switzerland 21*79 Belgium 30*43 I nited Kingdom 21*09 Scotland 25*92 spam . 12*32 The death rate in these diseases bein E lower in New Zealand than in any other country where returns are given. TABLE X. DEAF AND DUMB PER 10.000 BLINDNE SS PER 10.000 LI VING LIVING PERSON.PERSONS. Switzerland Austria 24*52 13*07 Portugal Tasmania 21*90 16*00 Sweden 10*23 Spam .. Australia 14*79 < Jermanv 9*31 W estem 13-79 < 'anada 3*05 Norway 13*57 Portugal 7*47 I. nited Kingdom .. 9*85 United states 6*75 L nited States 9*75 France 6*26 Austria 9*07 United Kingdom . 5*74 3 ictoria 8*60 Tasmania 5*44 F rance 3*37 Italv 5*37 Germanv 7-93 Spain . .. 4*50 Italv 7*63 Victoria Switzerland 7*61 South Australia 2*90 South Australia 7*06 Western Australia 2*35 Canada 6*19 New Zealand 2*33 HoLand 4*45 New Zealand 2*82 Showing that for one perShowing that for one blind son deaf and dumb in New person in New Zealand there Zealand there are ten perare nearly eight blind persons in Switzerland. sons in Portugal. TABLE XL LUNACY IN A I STR A LAS I A. Victoria Tasmania ■■ 1 in 304 persons 1 m 334 South Australia .. 1 in 436 New Zealand 1 in 437 „ TABLE XII. IDIOCY IS VARIOUS COUNTRIES PER 10.003 LIVING PERSONS. United States .. 15'33 persons Denmark .. 8*31 persons Portugal.. 15 00 Italv .. .. 6*91 Austria .. 14*64 Tasmania . 6*57 Germany .. 13'65 Spain 5*47 I nited Kingdom 12*92 Sweden .. 3*92 Hungary .11*36 3 ictoru . 1-87 France 11*40 New Zealand 1*18