SANITARY CONDITION OF THE COLONY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 233, 26 February 1876, Page 12

SANITARY CONDITION OF THE COLONY.

We have in the last New Zealand Gazette the Registrar-General's report on the vital statistics of the boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika for 1875. The mortality appears to have been greater in proportion to population in Auckland than anywhere else. Thus the proportion of deaths to the 1000 of the

It would therefore appear that Auckland shows by far the largest death rate in the colony for 1875. We are inclined, however, to think there is some little confusion here, inasmuch as the Registrar's district is not coterminous with the boundary of the Auckland borough. If the population of the suburbs of Parnell and Newton were added to that of the city, namely, 13,084, the general average would be reduced considerably. We may be wrong, however, in our opinion, but if not, then the Northern city must have been very unhealthy indeed. The following are the total numbers of births

The table showing the causes of the deaths registered in the foregoing boroughs during 1875 is also very instructive. Thus : Zymotic diseases '.. .. 32 "6S per cent. Constitutional diseases .. 15'53 „ Local diseases .. .. .. 36"50 „ Developmental diseases .. 12'52 ~ Violent deaths , .. .. 419 ~, Not specified .. -. .. 'SS ~ Now, it is far from being creditable to the sanitary state of our large towns to know that of the total number of deaths registered in them during 1875, one-third was from preventible diseases. Surely our home population is of some value to the country, or we should not go to the expense of introducing immigrants, but it seems that once here there is a total absence of all sanitary precautions on the part of local authorities for preserving health. Thus, in Auckland last year there were 130 deaths of infants under 5 years, and 61 deaths over that age, from zymotic diseases. This is simply shocking. Measles alone carried off 69 in Auckland out of a total of 126 for the colony ; typhoid fever had 25 victims ; scarlet fever 3 ; dysentery 13 ; and diarrhoea 37 in the same borough. And this season we have scarlet fever raging in Dunedin, without being able to tell when it may be carried north to Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, in each of which the sanitary conditions are favorable to its spread. In Wellington, the total deaths from zymotic diseases last year were —under 5 years, 61 ; over 5 years, 37. was not so bad as Auckland, but it was a high death rate nevertheless, and one which, with a more perfect system of drainage, would not have been recorded. Surely in a new country like this there is no want of space to make the thoroughfares wide and airy ; —no want of water or drainage facilities that we should huddle up our population into narrow compass, propogating disease and death. This is a very important question, and one which the Legislature should deal with at once. The evil is rapidly increasing, as the comparative tables by

the Registrar-General show. Thus, in 1875, while Auckland records a decrease of 89 births as compared with 1874, the numerical increase of deaths was 261, or 126-1 per cent, of the population ; in Wellington the births increased 21*9 per cent., and the deaths 7'5 per cent. ; in Christchurch the births increased 10 per cent., deaths 20’5 per cent. ; Nelson, increase of births, I'B per cent., increase of deaths, 112 - 0 per cent. ; Dunedin, increase of births, B'6 per cent., increase of deaths, 3'4 per cent. ; the Thames showed a death increase of 50 '0 per cent., and a decrease of births of B’3 per cent.; Hokitika exhibited a decrease of I‘4 per cent, of births, and an increase of 57‘4 per cent of deaths, compared with the previous year. It is noteworthy that the lowest death rate of infants in 1875 was in Dunedin, and the highest in Auckland, and that while 33 deaths from measles occurred m Dunedin in 1874 last year 126 deaths from this disease are recorded, of which 2 only were in Dunedin. IMeasles were fatal only in Dunedin during 1874, but spread through the colony afterwards. Typhoid fever was most prevalent in Christchurch last year, but it was fatal to many persons in Wellington and Auckland. On the whole, the vital statistics for 1875, which we have just reviewed, are far from satisfactory. The Registrar-General lets in a flood of light upon the dark places of our large towns, which are fast becoming hotbeds of disease and death. In conclusion, we trust the municipal authorities all over the colony will take warning from these statistics, and use the utmost diligence and despatch in carrying out drainage and other sanitary works. Too much money cannot be judiciously expended in this direction.

population was as tinder :— Auckland .. 35-77 Thames .. 18-16 Wellington .. 26-01 Nelson .. .. 27 39 Christchurch .. 30-44 Dunedin .. 22-24 Hokitika .. .. .. 21-38

and deaths for 1875 :- - Births. Deaths Auckland 536 468 Thames 244 150 Wellington .. 695 285 Nelson .. .. '.. . 228 159 Christclmrcli .. .; 570 323 Dunedin 996 426 Hokitika 138 74