The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 89, 25 August 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1877.

Taar Census Bflltfhat has been introduced into ttie Legislaftife Goimci] "by tte ; Golonial ; Secretary,, repeals five farmer Census j4.cts, aiid provwEes Jfchat a census shall t?e '^fcaken' not later ' than Aprils next year, and ; another^ m 18^2r^or Statistical purposes a.new census i is greatly needed,

that of 1874 being to all intents and \ purposes useless. Theresultof thisis I that the statistics are at present made up of conjecture and estimate, and the result of these guesses is illustrated by the ifact of. the RegistrarGeneral'making out that the popu- j lation of Wellington had been under | estimated by about 30 per cent. At present it is impossible to arrive at j any estimate of the death rate pre- ( vailing amongst people of different ages m the Colony, as we find that during 1876 the death rate for the whole colony of people at all ages was 12.28 per- thousand, and that the ! proportion of deaths of children under 5 years, the whole number , of deaths was 46.81 per cent., which seems very high indeed. But as we do not know the proportion the general population bear to children of that age, it is impossible to arrive at the actual rate of infantine mortality. The statistical machinery could easily be so arranged as to enable the Eegistrarto keep a record year by year of the number of children under five years who are m the Colony, as next 1 year 11 he will know the actual ages by census, and in' subsequent reihirns he will have the registered births as well as< the immigration returns, m which the ages of the immigrants are ( given ; but •he will not be able to ' know who comes and goes .between this and other colonies. If m 1879 the Registrar^ General.- takes the census return of children under five ( years, and adds the number of births ' during tbe year, and the children who have-arrived m immigrant ships, and on tbe other hand divides those - who have ( completed their jfifth' year or have 'died, be, wilLJbe', able' to arrive at a very close 'estimate' of the whole colony. The estimated population of the seven boroughs-, that were: considered ; worth" con-; sideration m 1876, was' 75,90(JJ and , the death rate 19.52 per' thousand; being 7.24 per thousand more than for the whole Colony. ■ The propor- 1 tions of deaths of children under "5 years to the whole number of deaths" was very much lower m the boroughs than m the Colony generally. This can be accounted for, by tbe fact that medical advice can be obtained so very laucb. readier m town, than it can m the country, and also that some of the unhealthiesttowns m tbe Colony are not included m the returns. At the same time tne^ above figures show a "result reverse of the experience of other countries. In London the infant mortality 'is 7^ per cent greater than for the wnole, Kingdom, and Sydney- as much, as 55 per cent., above that for tbe whole of New South Wales. ",We do not think that New Zealand has any reason to be proud of these contrasts,- as her cities are mere 1 bamlets compared with London or' Sydney and the returns are to say^the best ! of them only conjectural. In ] fact from the result obtained, the conclusion to arrive at, is the returns must' undoubtedly/;be incorrect.

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