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PART I.
A. STATISTICS.
Population.
The Registrar-General has adopted the following estimates of the
Population of Westminster for the year 1920 :—For death-rates, 132,615;
for the birth-rate, 137,769, an increase of about 5,000 in each instance
over the estimate for 1919. The former is an estimate of the Chilian
population. It is difficult to make a correct estimate, consequently any
rates calculated thereon cannot be regarded as reliable, and must be
subject to correction when the results of the Census to be taken in 1921
are published.
As the year 1920 has been taken as a 53 week year, the populations
upon which the death and birth-rates have been calculated are 135,165
and 140,418 respectively.
Births.
The number of births registered in Westminster was 1,731, of these
the home address of 89 was elsewhere, and therefore these have to be
deducted, but 618 children were born to residents of Westminster in
institutions in other parts of London, adding these the nett number was
2,260, to which should be added 6 infants whose bodies were found in
Westminster and whose birth had not been registered, making a nett
number of 2,266.
During the war years the number of births fell from 2,157 in 1914
to 1,459 in 1918, the decrease being in legitimately born infants, illegitimate
infants showing an increase. In 1919, while there was a slight
decrease in the latter, the legitimate infants increased from 1,234 to
1,383. In 1920, there has been a marked increase in the legitimate, the
nett number of these being 2,047.
Calculated on the estimate of population given above, a birth-rate
of 16.1 per 1,000 persons results ; the London birth-rate was 26 • 5 and for
England and Wales 25.4, both showing great increase over the rates of
the preceding year (18.3 and 18.5). The birth-rate for the whole country
is the highest of the decade, and the number of births the highest ever
recorded.