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5
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea.
I have the honour to submit my fifth Annual Report on the
health and sanitary conditions of the Borough of Battersea. In
doing so it is again my privilege to point to the satisfactory position
which your Borough occupies in regard to its sickness and fatality
statistics.
Since the records for the year 1910 were compiled, the preliminary
report of the enumeration of the population of the United
Kingdom has been issued by the Registrar-General. As had been
anticipated as regards the figures for the County of London, the
estimate of the Registrar-General of the population of Battersea is
proved by the Census figures to be considerably in excess of the
actual population. The population, instead of increasing, has
slightly declined, viz., to the extent of 0.66 per cent. as compared
with the 1901 Census.
Notwithstanding the error in the estimated population of the
Borough, I have considered it advisable to retain this figure for
purposes of this Report until the complete returns of the Census
are available.
It will, however, be found, despite the error as shown by the
Census figures, that the results of the past year establish a record
in the general health statistics of the Borough. There have been
fewer deaths per 1,000 of the population in Battersea than in any
previous year. There has also been a marked decrease in the
infectious diseases figures. Moreover, infant mortality has declined
in Battersea to a remarkable extent during the past 10 years. In
1901 there were registered 821 deaths of infants belonging to Battersea,
as compared with 434 infant deaths in 1910, a decrease of
47 per cent., although numerically the population has remained
practically the same.
To the Members of the Council my thanks are due for the
support extended to me. To my colleagues the Chief Officers of the
Council and the Public Health Staff my thanks are also due for
assistance always willingly rendered.
G. Quin LENNANE.
Town Hall,
Lavender Hill, S.E.