109 



colloctivoly, forming the " Urban Districts." 5. The remainder 

 of the Colony, forniiny the " liural Districts." 



AppeiKlod to the abstract tables are other tables, giving 

 the data upon which the former are based, so that every one 

 who consults them may be in a position to check the calcula- 

 tions for himself, and detect the errors, if any should have 

 crept in. 



The period embraced in the returns is the five years from 

 1869 to 1873. Where the figures were not to be obtained 

 from the published statistics of the other Colonies, they were 

 procured by direct application to the Registrars-General, 

 whose courtesy in furnishing them I desire to acknowledge. 



I shall consider the general tables first ; and those relating 

 specially to Tasmania afterwards. 



" Real infant mortality," says the Registrar-General of 

 England (1872), "may be satisfactorily measured by its pro- 

 portion to births registered." This is shown for the Australian 

 Colonies aud Tasmania in table A. The average number of 

 deaths of infants under 1 year to 100 births for each colony, 

 ranged in descending order, was : — ■ 



South Australia 14-24 



Victoria 11 'SB 



Queensland 11 "07 



New South Wales 9-57 



Tasmania 9 "45 



Here the superiority of our Colony is at once seen. In 

 England, the proportion was, in 1869, 15'6; in 1870, 16. In 

 Scotland, in 1870 (an average year), it was 12'28. Even 

 South Australia, the Colony least favourable to infant life, was 

 more so than England. The average rate for 10 years (1864- 

 73) in Victoria is said, by the Government Statist in his 

 copious and careful report for the latter year, to be 12'4. 



The next test which I shall employ, is a comparison (table 

 B) of the proportions which the deaths of children bore to 100 

 deaths at all ages. To go through all the ages in a resume 

 like this, would hardly leave any clear idea of the differences, 

 but would rather tend to confuse the mind, and I shall there- 

 fore confine myself to a few particulars, referring those who 

 wish for more information to the tables themselves. The 

 deaths under 1 year were : — 



Per Cent. 



South Australia 39'86 



Victoria 30-29 



Queensland 30-25 



New South Wales 27*79 



Tasmania 20-29 



Here the order is exactly the same as before. Between one 



