The decline in the birth-rate elsewhere alluded to has an immediate effect on the death-rates. In ordinary years about 30 per cent. of the deaths are of children under one year, and the decline in the birth-rate from 35 to 25 per thousand, which has happened during the last thirteen years, means a reduction of over 1 per thousand in the death-rate. The number of deaths in each state and in the whole of Australasia, in quinquennial periods from 1861 to 1900, and during the years 1901-3, is shown in the following table. Of the Commonwealth States, South Australia showed the lowest death-rate during 1903, followed by Tasmania, but the lowest rate for Australasia was exhibited by New Zealand. State. 1861-65. 1866-70. 1871-75. 1876-80. 1881-85. 1886-90. 1891-95. 1896- 1901-3. New South Wales.. 31,561 36,466 40,909 53,256 66,103 71,457 76,802 77,783 49,164 Victoria Queensland South Australia 49,452 55,136 59,759 62,811 66,811 84,648 82,056 81,328 47,676 5,751 9,312 12,869 17,284 25,731 28,040 26,581 29,202 18,557 10,840 12,963 15,475 18,026 21,616 19,361 20,535 21,174 12,330 Western Australia 1,399 1,711 2,068 2,003 2,709 8,332 Tasmania 6,953 6,962 8,060 8,994 9,790 10,389 5,430. 11,943 8,130 10,123 10,313 5,844 Commonwealth 105,956 122,550 139,140 162,374 192,760 217,227 221,527 231,743 141,701 New Zealand 10,001 13,328 19,354 25,254 29,074 29,746 33,525 35,151 24,537 .... Australasia 115,957 135,878 158,494 187,628 221,834 246,973 255,C52 266,894 166,238 The average death-rates per thousand of the population of each state for the periods shown in the above table are given below, but the statement does not afford a just comparison between them as no account is taken of the ages of the people : : State. 1861-65. 1866-70. 1871-75. 1876-80. 1881-85. 1886-90. 1891-95. 1896- 1901-3. New South Wales Victoria Queensland South Australia 15.64 16.52 16.86 16.05 14.99 16.09 15.66 13.80 12.80 11.85 11'74 17.36 16.52 15.64 14.92 21.06 18.07 17.94 16.90 15.70 15.01 15.83 14.90 Western Australia 15.73 15:40 16.03 14.32 Tasmania 15-20 14.06 If this table be compared with that showing the birth-rates, it will be observed that the experience of Australasia corresponds with that of other countries, viz., that a low birth-rate and a low death-rate accompany each other, so that although the birth-rate has been declining it has had an effect in reducing the death-rate, as indicated on the preceding page, and the balance in favour of births has not been reduced so much as it might have been. From the next table, which shows the mean natural increase in various foreign countries during the decennial period 1893-1902, and for Australasia and the United Kingdom during the period 1894-1903, it will be seen that the case of Australasia is much better than that of any of the countries of the United Kingdom or Europe, for notwithstanding that the birth-rate of these countries in some cases is higher, the death-rate is so much higher as to more than outweigh any advantage in that respect. In regard to the above table it must be stated that, had the figures of any of the last five years been taken as the basis of comparison, the gain by natural increase in Australasia would have been below that of some European countries, where the decline in the birth-rate, although distinctly evident, has not been so great as in Australasia. INDEX OF MORTALITY. So far consideration has only been given to the actual death-rates as they are obtained by taking the proportion which the number of deaths bears to the number of inhabitants. It is well known, however, that the death-rate of a country is affected by more than the salubrity of its climate, the degree of perfection to which the sanitary condition of its cities and towns and villages has been brought, and the nature of the industrial pursuits of its people. It is known that the ages of the people considerably affect the death-rate of a country; that, for instance, one which has a large proportion of young people will, other things being equal, have a lower death-rate than another which has a comparatively large proportion of old persons; and it is this fact that statistical science now seeks to take into account in establishing the rates of mortality of the various countries of the world. In order to have a comparison of the mortality of the principal countries on a uniform basis, the International Statistical Institute, in its 1895 session, held at Berne, decided to recommend the population of Sweden, in five agegroups, as ascertained at the census of 1890, as the standard population, by which the index of mortality should be calculated. Applying the co-efficient of mortality in each age-group in the Commonwealth and New Zealand to the age constitution of the standard population, the "index of mortality," as distinguished from the actual "death-rate," is found as given below for the year 1903. How greatly the ages of the people of a country affect its mortality will be evident from the fact that whereas in 1903 the death-rate in Victoria was higher than in Queensland, the index of mortality was lower, and while the death-rates ranged from 10-40 in New Zealand to 12.90 in Victoria, a difference of only 2.50 per thousand, the indexes of mortality showed a range of 3.58, namely, from 12.64 in New Zealand to 16-22 in Queensland. AGES AT DEATH. A detailed statement of the ages at death of the males who died during the year 1903 in the various states is given below. The figures for South Australia in this and subsequent detailed tables refer to the province proper exclusive of the Northern Territory. Similar information respecting the deaths of females in 1903 is given 4582888-785 Queensland. 62 264 4,957 793 5,750 30 961 133 1,094 16 7 346 56 402 13 12 232 11 27 Age Groups. The next table shows the ages of all the persons who died during 1903 : The ages of the people were ascertained at the census of March, 1901, and a comparison of the foregoing figures with the numbers living at each age can now be made. Using the same age groups as for the index of mortality given on page 183, the following rates are obtained. For age 0 (under 1 year) the number of births during the year has been used in place of figures deduced from the census results : Tasmania usually shows a much more favourable rate than any of the other states of the Commonwealth, and especially as regards children under 1 year of age; but in 1903 a severe epidemic of whooping cough visited the island, and as a consequence the death-rate of children under 1 year rose from 79.96 in 1902, to 111-02 in 1903. During last year Australasia. Australasia. |