14

H.—3l

Infantile Mortality. Subjoined is a classified statement of the deaths of infants under one year during 1909, with the ratio of the deaths in each class to the 1,000 births during the year:—

Seventy-one out of every thousand of male children born, and fifty-two of every thousand females, are found to have died before attaining the age of one year. The mortality was thus one in fourteen of male children and one in nineteen of females in New Zealand, where conditions are far more favourable to infant life than in Australia, at least as far as relates to the cities. It will also be seen from the figures that the chances of living during the first year of age are greater for female than for male infants. Thus, during the year 1909 there were— 100 deaths of males to 72 deaths of females under 1 month of age ; 100 81 ~ from 1 to 3 months of age; jqO 73 from 3 to 6 months of age ; jqq 75 „ from 6 to 12 months of age; jqO 74 „ under 12 months of age. Dealing with the results'for ten years, the deaths of infants under one year are in the large proportion of three-fourths of the total deaths under five, as might be expected, the first year being the tenderest period. (See notes to tables.)

Deaths of Infants under One Year, and Proportion to Births.

Note.—The totaTnumber of deaths of infants for the period included in the table is 16,758.

Deaths of Children under One Year to 1,000 Births. rioo+Via npr , Deaths per Country. I 000 Births. I 1,000 Births. „,..,. ' 320 Scotland (1907) .. . . 110 S " " ..199 Denmark (1907) .. ..106 •• 183 Ireland 97 lon •• ■• 175 Victoria 86 i amalCa " 173 Western Australia .. ..85 l mssm ■■ •■ ;: 158 Sweden (1907) 77 T+T a " " •■ 155 New South Wales .. ..76 Italy (1907) Tasmania 75 iT n(l Xm" •" " 132 Queensland 70 sr7 ( i! ■ " " 125 South Australia .. -.70 Netherlands .. •• New Zealand 68 Switzerland (1901) •• •■ "*; ~„„,, fi7 England and Wales .. • • -120 Norway (1907) 67 Finland (1907) .. ■• • • 112

Year. Sex. Under 1 Month. 1 and under 3 Months. 3 and under 6 Months. 6 , anl * Total under *? L i 12 Months. Months. 1909 I Male ( Female Number of Deaths. 469 160 325 125 151 107 172 125 952 682 Deaths to the 1,000 Births. 1909 ... ( Male I Female 34-74 11-85 24-96 9-60 11-18 8-21 12-74 9-60 I 70-51 52-37

Year. Deaths of Infants ui each Year, a ader 1 Yeai ,nd Meana of Age. {1 >i 10 Years. ?otals for ) f Total Births P r °P o !* ,on , registered of Deaths of in elch Year, Infanta and Mean of under 1 Year in Ynarq to every 10 Years. lfiQ0 ■ . 1 Month Under and under 1 Month, i g Mon ths. 3 Months and under 16 Months. 6 Months ; and under 12 Months. Total under 12 Months. I 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 . •■■ 1906 1907 1908 1909 607 610 665 692 669 714 717 763 810 794 288 272 344 346 260 285 247 446 242 285 293 292 313 367 356 290 244 500 347 258 281 289 390 365 331 310 298 519 362 297 1,469 1,463 1,712 1,770 1,616 1,599 1,506 2,228 1,761 1,634 19,546 20,491 20,655 21,829 22,766 23,682 24,252 25,094 25,940 26,524 75-2 71-4 82-9 8-1-1 71-0 67-5 62-1 88-8 67-9 61-6 Means of ten years ... 704 301 326 344 1,675 23,080 72'6