View report page

20
We thus see that the real death-rate (19.17) is greater than
the corrected death-rate (13.92), which means that the district
is creating life faster than it is using it, a condition deserving of
some congratulation when it is borne in mind that most of our
large towns have already turned the zenith, and are using up
their life capital faster than they are creating it. If out birthas
rate continues to fall at the same rate as it has done in the
last 80 years town-planning schemes and other provision for
future expansion will soon become unnecessary, as the population
will cease to increase, a condition of affairs which I estimate
will occur in about 30 or 40 years.

These series show much the same points as were indicated
last year. The reliability of the rates will, however, get less
and less until the next census is taken, owing to the error in
estimating the increase of population in the various wards. The
number of uncertified deaths was 28, and on 12 of these postmortem
examinations were held, the causes being returned as :—
Injury, 1 ; drowning, 3; suffocation, 1 ; suicide, 3; and natural
causes, 18.
Age at Death.
(1) Under One Year (Infantile Mortality).
There were 116 deaths registered of infants under one year,
the rate per 1,000 births being 113. In the ten years 1891-1901