A.—4

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XIII. DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS. Births, Marriages, Deaths, Immigration, and Emigration. Return showing the Births, Deaths, and Marriages, also Immigration and Emigration, for the Year ended 31st March, 1924.

APPENDIX A. VITAL STATISTICS (SAMOAN). (In answer to Question IX, 6, of Questionnaire.) The Native population of Western Samoa at the census of 17th April, 1921, was 32,601. By the 31st December, 1922, the population had increased to 33,685 (estimated). During 1923, 1,701 live births were reported, and 1,398 deaths, giving an excess of births over deaths of 303. The departures from Western Samoa (982) exceeded the arrivals (794) by 188. The population at the 31st December, 1923, was therefore 33,800, a net increase of 115 for the year. The mean population for the year was estimated to be 33,685. Births. The births of 1,701 living children (Samoan) were registered in Western Samoa during 1.923, as .against 1,622 in 1922. The birth-rate is thus 50-49 per 1,000 of mean population, as against 48-52 per 1,000 for 1922. The number of live births in 1923 is the second highest recorded, the highest being 1,792 for 1912, with a population of 34,239. (Note : Still-births, of which twenty-one were registered during the year, are not included either as births or deaths in the various number and rates given in this report.) Sixteen pairs of twins were registered, of which both were males in seven instances, both females in six, and in three instances one male and one female. Births of Samoans, Western Samoa, 1923. Males. Females. Total. Savai'i .. .. .. .. ..301 296 597 Upolu .. ... .. .. .. 557 547 1,104 85S, 843 1,701 Births by Months. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. January 71 71 142 August 69 61 130 February .. 58 55 113 September ..71 76 147 March " ..84 73 157 October ..78 56 134 April .. ..67 66 133 November .. 86 65 151 May .. ..79 82 161 December .. 52 67 119 June .. .. 66 81 147 July .. ..77 90 167 858 843 1,701 Deaths. The number of deaths registered during the year was 1,398, as compared with 899 in 1922. The relatively large increase was due to an epidemic of dysentery, referred to elsewhere in this report. The crude death-rate was 41-50 per 1,000 of mean population. The new system of registration of deaths of Samoans, fully described in last year's report, and introduced on the Ist January, 1.923, has made it possible to tabulate the deaths under one year of age with a reasonable degree of accuracy, with the exception of deaths occurring during the twelfth month. The difficulty will not appear in future, as it will be possible to check records of deaths at twelve months of age by reference to the Births Register. In the table given below, deaths at twelve months of age have been included in the totals given under heading " One Year."

Births. Deaths. Marriages. Immigration. Emigration. Native Samoans Europeans and lialf-castes Chinese labourers Melanesian labourers .. 1,701 107 1,398 20 6 8 153 21 794 448 982 505 434 Totals 1,808 1,432 174 1,242 1,921