YEAR’S LOW BIRTHRATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1922, Page 6

YEAR’S LOW BIRTHRATE.

ONLY 23.33 PER THOUSAND. NEW LOW RECORD OF DEATHS. POPULATION NOW 1,306,908. The number of births registered in New Zealand in 192) was 28,555, a reduction of 1366 from the total -for 1920, which is the highest yet recorded. The number of births first exceeded 28,000 in 1914, and again in 1916, when the total was 28,509, the latter standing as the record until 1920, for which the total w k as 29,921. In proportion to population, the total for 1921 is exceedingly low, the second lowest ever recorded. It is equivalent to 23.33 per 1000 of the mean population, as compared with 25.09 per 1000 in 1920, 21.42 in 1919, the lowest record, and 23.44 in 1918. The average birth rate for the years 1882-86 was 35.40. In 1890 the rate fell below 30, and in 1897 below 26. From 1903 to 1913 it was above 26, but the last eight years have shown lower records again. The number of deaths in 1921 was 10,701, compared with 12,109 in 1920, 10,808 in 1919, and 16,364 in 1918, the year of the influenza epidemic. There were over 10,000 deaths in 1907, and annually since 1913, except in 1915, when the total was 9965.

The death rate for 1921 was 8.74 per 1000, which constitutes a new low record, the previous best figure having been 8.87 in 1912, every other year since then having had a death rat* exceeding nine per 1000, with 14.84 in 1918 and 10.15 in 1920.

The low death rate compensates partly for the Lbirth rate, the rate of natural increase for the year having been 14.59 per 1000 of population, as compared with 14.84 in 1920, and 11.96 in 1919. But from 1891 to 1907, the natural increase exceeded 16 per 1000, and in 1876 it was as high as 29.41. An estimate of the population of the Dominion at December 31, 1921, has been made by the Government Statistician. The European population at the date of the census, April 17, was 1,218,913, since when there has been an increase of >12,767 by excess of births over deaths and of 8268 by excess of immigration over emigration, making a total of 1339,948. Including the census totals of the Maori population 52,751, and of the Cbok and other Pacific Islands 13,269, the grand total is 1,305,DOB.