H.—3l

International List. The following table gives the death-rate from puerperal causes in various countries (a quinquennial average —such an average discounts annual extremes).

It will be seen from this that New Zealand's puerperal death-rate, unlike her general death-rate, is still relatively high, due less to puerperal-septicaemia deaths than to deaths from other puerperal causes, such as puerperal albuminuria and convulsions, puerperal hemorrhage, and other accidents of labour. It will be seen also that several other countries, believed to possess skilled midwifery service, which show a relatively high rate also owe their relatively high rate more to these other puerperal causes than to puerperal septicaemia. I instance Northern Ireland, Australia, Canada, Scotland, and the United States of America. Causes other than Puerperal Septicemia.—A Comparison of Death-rates of (1) the Fourteen Urban Centres, and (2) the Rest of the Dominion. Since 1922 corrected statistics have been available giving separately the death-rates for (1) the fourteen urban centres, which jointly include slightly more than half of the population of the Dominion, and for (2) the rest of the Dominion. I present hereunder two columnar graphs.

Graph A.—Puerperal Death-rates per 1,000 Live Births—Each cause, excluding Puerperal Septicæmia: Average for Years 1922-27.

10

Death-rate per 1,000 Births from Country. Period. Puerperal Other Puerperal All Puerperal Septicemia. Causes. Causes. Denmark.. .. .. .. 1920-24 1-10 1-16 2-26 Netherlands . . . . . . 1921-25 0-72 ■ 1-72 2-44 Sweden .. .. .. .. 1918-22 1-28 1-40 2-68 Italy .. .. .. .. 1920-24 1-08 1-73 2-81 Uruguay .. .. .. .. 1919-23 1-75 1-13 2-88 Japan .. .. .. .. 1921-25 1-21 2-07 3-28 Hungary .. .. .. .. 1918-22 1-52 1-90 3-42 England and Wales .. . . 1921-25 1-40 2-50 3-90 Northern Ireland . . .. . . 1921-25 1-55 3-21 4-76 Spain .. .. .. .. 1920-24 2-99 1-80 4-79 New Zealand 1923-27 1-82 2-97 4 79 Irish Free State .. .. . . 1921-25 2-10 2-88 4-98 Germany .. . . .. 1920-24 2-77 2-27 5-04 Jamaica .. .. .. .. 1921-25 1-09 4-10 5-19 Australia.. .. .. .. 1922-26 1-70 3-51 5-21 Switzerland .. .. . . 1918-22 2-82 2-60 5-42 Canada* .. .. .. .. 1921-25 1-46 4-09 5-55 Belgium .. .. .. .. 1920-24 2-65 3-11 5-76 Scotland .. .. .. .. 1921-25 1-86 4-41 6-27 United Statesf .. .. .. 1920-24 2-54 4-36 6-90 Chile .. .. .. .. 1919-23 2-24 6-00 8-24 Trinidad .. .. .. .. 1923-25 3-58 5-68 9-26 British Guiana .. .. .. 1922-25 2-68 11-55 14-23 Ceylon .. .. .. .. 1921-25 8-15_ 11-94 20-09 * Exclusive of Quebec. f Registration area.