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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4133, 19 June 1874, Page 2

The report of the Registrar-General on the vital statistics of the boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika, for the month of May, has boon published. It is interesting in a good many, and in some unexpected, respects. Grouping the seven boroughs named, with the population of each, it is not surprising to find that Dunedin is sot down as the most populous, having 18,505 inhabitants, nor that Auckland should have a population of 12,745; but it is almost a matter of surprise to note that Wellington is third on the list, with 10,490 people, beating Christchurch by 214. Very few people, wo imagine, know that the Thames ranked next, having a population of 8005 ; while Nelson followed —a long way off—with 5071 ; and Hokitika with 3338. The proportion of deaths to every thousand of the people was only 0 70 in Nelson —which would appear to be the healthiest town in New Zealand ; but the Thames was not far behind, its figure being 0.74; while Wellington, blustering and unpleasant as its climato is at times, stands third. It is represented by Vl4, while Christchurch and Dunedin each figures (literally) for I‘sl, Auckland for l'G4, and Hokitika for 1'79. Dunedin showed by far the largest percentage of births, the number being 01, while Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland tied at 38, and Nelson and bachelor-bothered Thames were equal at 18, and Hokitika came far behind with only eight. May, it ■would appear from the Bogistrar-G oncral’a reports, is not a fortunate month as regards increase to the population, the total number of births registered having been only 219, while in March itwas 288, and in February no loss than 292. The total number of deaths recorded was 93 ; and of those not fewer than thirty were of infants. In Auckland two persons had died at the ago of eighty years, and one at the more ■ than patriarchal ago of eighty-nine, while in Dunedin the oldest person who had succumbed to “ grim death’s fell dart” was only 07. The causes of death are, of course, sot down technically, and

therefore “hardly to be understood of common people but we observe that zymotic diseases prevailed most in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland, and scarcely at all in Wellington, Nelson, the Thames, or Hokitika; that “local diseases”—in which class are included diseases of the nervous system, the organs of circulation, the respiratory system, and the digestive organs—wore equally com-, mon in Auckland and Dunedin, somewhat prevalent in Christchurch, and scarcely known in Wellington, Thames, Nelson, and Hokitika. Of “developmental diseases”—which mean the fatal ailments of children before or after their first acquaintance with the world—there were five in Dunedin, two in Christchurch, one each in Wellington, Auckland, Nelson, and Hokitika, and none at the Thames. Only two violent deaths were recorded during May, ono of them that of an adult at the Thames, and the other of a child, in Wellington. Of diptheria there were five cases—three in Dunedin, one in Christchurch, and one at the Thames ; and of typhoid fever four—two at the Thames, one at Auckland, and one at Christchurch. On the whole the return must be regarded as satisfactory. As to the influence the weather may have had on the state of health we shall not speculate, but merely remark, from Dr. Hector’s provisional meteorological report, that the average temperature in the shade ranged very close, running from 57‘7 at Auckland to 45 at Dunedin. At Wellington it was 51 - G, at Nelson 50'2, at Hokitika 49’7, and at Christchurch 40 - 1 The average for the same month in previous years was almost the same at Auckland and Nelson ; precisely the same at Hokitika ; lower by ono per cent, at Nelson and Christchurch ; and colder by about two degrees at Wellington and Dunedin. The highest temperature (73°) was observed at Auckland, and the lowest (55°) at Dunedin. The coldest day seems to have been experienced at Christchurch, where the thermometer fell on the 3rd and the 7th of the month to 30 ‘3 0 ; the next lowest registers having been, in the order named, at Hokitika, Dunedin, Nelson, and Wellington (37 - 3 a ), the mercury at Auckland not having fallen below 30'4°., The rainfall was greatest at Hokitika, whore it amounted to 6’940 inches ; Nelson following with 5'920 inches, Wellington with 3'710, Auckland with 3'585, Dunedin with l - 588, and Christchurch (notwithstanding the floods reported there) with the lowest figure of all, 1'540 inches.

Wellington, however, has to be credited (or discredited) with the greatest number of rainy days in the month. These wore 19 ; while Auckland had 14, Christchurch and Hokitika 12, Dunedin 10, and Nelson only eight.