View report page

22
1906]
Thus the movement in the age of the population between 1881 and 1901
has shown the great decrease of 15,879 in the number of persons living at the
age 0-15, of which the period 0-5 is responsible for 8,625.
These figures very clearly indicate the direction in which the population
has changed and is changing. It is becoming more mature; infancy, childhood,
adolescence are passing away. How serious the shrinkage in juvenile life
is may be grasped from the fact that if the population under 5 years of
age had been the same as in 1881, there would now be living 8,625 more
children than there are, and even if it had remained as in 1891, there
would be living in the borough 3,450 more than are recorded.
When we examine the figures at the next age period (5-15), it is found
that in 1881 and 1891 they were in the same proportion, but owing to the
change in the population in 1901, it is found that it has caused a decrease
of 7,244.
At the third age period (15-25,) although there was a change for the
better in 1891, yet in 1901 there was a decrease in the number compared with
the aggregate population, so that to-day it is estimated that there are 345
fewer persons living than if the proportion of 1891 had obtained in 1901.
The fourth and subsequent age periods show an increased number of
persons living compared with what they would have been if the 1881 and 1901
proportions had obtained.
It is not necessary to go through them seriatim, for they are set out in
the table, but they emphasize the fact that the population of Islington is an
older population than it has been hitherto. Similar changes are occurring in
other communities, and without doubt will affect not only them but the
Kingdom also. In England and Wales the age distribution of the population
has been changing, as may be seen by the following figures, which show the
number of persons living at the several age periods in the last three censuses:—
75 and
0-5 5-15 15-25 25-35 35-45 45-55 55-65 65-75 over.
1881 136 229 188 146 113 83 59 33 13
1891 123 228 193 151 115 86 57 34 13
1901 114 210 196 162 123 89 60 33 13
Hence it seems that in England and Wales similar changes to those
occurring in Islington are taking place. Thus in the age period 0-5, the proportion
of chillren has fallen from 136 per 1,000 in 1881 to 123 in 1891, and