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demolition of houses on the Midland Depot site, north of Phoenix Street, that
has been proceeding since 1891. As these demolitions were all completed
before the Census of 1896, no further decrease can result from them at present.
Camden Town.—The diminution of population in this district is partly due
to the fact that demolition and reconstruction were going on at the Workhouse
over a long period of time. The number of inmates in 1881 was 1,743
in 1891 it was 1,462, and in 1896 it is 2,008. So that one-sixth of
the decrease in the first, and one-third of the increase in the second intercensal
period was due to the-e causes. The Census of 1891 also found a large
number of houses between Camden Street and College Place demolished, and
on their sites new houses have been erected, and were found fully occupied at
the Census of 1896.
Kentish Town.— In this sub-district building has been steadily going on
for years, so that the population is equally steadily increasing. There are
still considerable vacant areas in the north of this district, that doubtless will
sooner or later be built upon ; in the meantime a few new dwelling houses
are being erected and occupied.
As to the future estimates of population.—It was not correct to assume that
because the population in every sub-district, except Kentish Town, decreased
between 1881 and 1891, that therefore it would decrease also between 1891
and 1896. As a matter of fact it did not decrease, but increased in every
sub-district except Somers Town. On the other hand, it would not be
correct to assume that because the population increased in every sub-district,
except Somers Town, between 1891 and 1896, that therefore it will increase
in the same ratio between the Census of 1896 and the Census of 1901, since
we know that most of the last increases are due to the replenishing of the
vacancies of the previous decrease.
In the more central parts of the district many dwelling roooms and houses
tend to become partly or wholly workshops and workplaces, and so to reduce
the resident population. On the other hand, the tendency is for houses in
these central parts of the district to be demolished and rebuilt in flats or blocks
of dwellings, and thus to increase the resident population—that is to say, with
the natural inclination of the populatiou to diminish in the more central parts,
there has also sprung up in recent years the counteracting tendency to increase
the number of dwellings and accommodation in houses rebuilding. The
result is that the change of population in the more central parts may be
expected to be small and less necessary to take into account so that, in spite
of the change in the last quinquennium, it will be desirable to regard the
population of each of the sub-districts as approximately stationary, excepting
that of Kentish Town.
The Registrar General's logarithmic method of calculation appears to be
inapplicable to St. Pancras. For instance, calculated by this method, based
upon the decrease between the Census of 1881 and 1891, the population of
St. Pancras at the Census of 1896 would have been 233,445, instead of 240,764.
The population at the Census of 1901, based upon the increase between 1891
and 1896 gives an estimate of 253,476, obviously too high. If the changes