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It will be seen from the foregoing table (comparing the corrected death-rates) that in the quinquennium
1903-7, Shoreditch (20.9) had the highest rate and Hampstead (10.8) the lowest; in the
year 1908, City of London (19.4) had the highest, the lowest again obtaining in Hampstead (9.6).
For the purposes of the calculation of the death-rates in the above table the populations of the
several metropolitan boroughs have been estimated on the assumption that the rate of increase in the
last intercensal period has been since maintained. The correctness of this assumption is open to
doubt, especially in view of the fact that seven years have elapsed since the census of 1901, and the
estimate of the populations used needs to be checked by figures obtained on some other assumption.
The only official figures which can be thus used are the populations calculated by the Registrar-General
for the purposes of the Equalisation of Rates Act, these populations being based upon the number
of rated houses in each borough. The following table shows the populations estimated by the two
methods referred to and the resulting death-rates for the year 1908. It will be noticed that the deathrate
of the County of London is only slightly affected, but the difference in some districts is considerable.
It should, however, be noted that migration and the declining birth-rate of recent years in
addition to affecting the total number of the population may have considerably altered its age constitution
since the date of the last census, and no reliable correction can be made for this effect until
the figures of the next census are available.