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the later years of life the sense of responsibility in respect of marriage
and the resultant offspring continues to be strong during early adult life.
Attention needs to be focused on all aspects of the marriage problem if
the life of the community is to be a sound and happy one.
Stillbirths.—The number of stillbirths registered during 1946 was
40 (22 males and 18 females), as compared with 18 in 1945 and 21 in 1944.
All but one of the stillbirths occurred in legitimate children. The local
stillbirth rate was thus 0.49 per thousand of population, as compared
with 0.43 for the preceding year and 0.42 for the year 1944. It is, however,
considerably lower than in 1942 and 1943 (0.56 and 0.66) and only slightly
above the average for 1935-9. The implications of this rate can be best
considered in conjunction with the infant mortality rate later in this
Report. The stillbirth rate for England and Wales was 0.53 in 1946.
DEATHS.
The number of deaths registered during 1946 as belonging to this
District was 591 (280 males and 311 females), as compared with 549 in
1945, and 651 in 1944.
These numbers exclude deaths which, although occurring within the
District, belonged to other districts, but includes deaths of residents who
died outside the District and also non-residents dying in the District
who have previously had no permanent place of abode, which latter group
has increased of recent years.
It will be seen from the table of vital statistics that the crude death
rate for the year was equal to 9.8 per thousand of population, as compared
with 10.2 in 1945 and 12.9 in the preceding year.
The average death rate in the District was low in the inter-war
years, ranging from 7.0 to 8.5, but even so there was a slight tendency for
it to increase with the ageing population. During the war years the
population at risk was a much older one, owing to the absence of large
numbers of young adults in the services, etc. Until this influence has
fully readjusted itself, the uncorrected death rate will remain of less
significance. The crude death rate for England and Wales was 11.5 in 1946.

A full list of the causes of the deaths and the ages at which they
occurred is given in Table IV in the Appendix.
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