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28
The causes responsible for 448 of these 494 infant deaths have
been carefully inquired into by the Health Department. During 1907
the plan was adopted of estimating the populations for the nine
wards of the Borough, instead of those for the three sub-districts,
as heretofore had been the practice. In this way it was possible
to localise with greater accuracy the areas in which the highest
and lowest rates of infant mortality occurred. Thus the highest
rate (158.95) was found to be in Winstanley Ward, and the lowest
(51.2) in Bolingbroke. This enabled greater attention being concentrated
on those districts which exhibited a high infant mortality,
with gratifying results, as will be seen by a glance at the
table on page 25, where the infant mortality rate in Winstanley
Ward had fallen from 158.5 to 105.4 per 1,000.
The result of the year's work has, on the whole, been of a
satisfactory character. It is to be anticipated that better results
will follow from the adoption by the Council of the Notification of
Births Act, the account of the first ten months' working of which
will be found in this part of the report.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907.
This useful Act was passed with the object of removing
the delay which, under the Registration of Births Act, arose
through late registration of births. Under the latter Act births
can be registered within 42 days from the date of birth. The Act,
which is a permissive Act, was considered by the Council on the
report of the Health Committee at their meeting held on the 25th
September, 1907. The Council instructed the Medical Officer of
Health to prepare a report* on the Act, which was presented to
them at the meeting held on 23rd October, 1907. The "resolution
of adoption " was carried at the meeting of the Council held
on the 27th November, and the sanction of the Local Government
Board was subsequently obtained, and the Board appointed the
2nd March, 1908, as the date on which the Act came into force
in the Borough.
* Vide Report for 1907.