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12
proper figure to use to give a fair representation of the health
of a district, and consequently to exclude from local returns the
deaths of all members of the armed forces of this or other
countries.
On arriving at the estimated civil population of a district,
he fortunately had at his disposal figures of the National Register,
and after investigation in other channels it would appear that
although a certain number of persons may have escaped registration
this did not seriously affect the issue, and the estimated
civil population assigned to the district, although not perfect, is
under the circumstances the nearest approach to a true estimate
that can be obtained.
We have therefore adopted the figure 164,438 supplied by
the Registrar-General as the civil population of the Borough of
Lewisham for the year under review, which compared with the
population figure calculated upon the former methods of 172,433,
shows a migration in round figures of 8,000.
The question of the population figure to be used for calculating
the Birth Rate has been considered. As the births
registered are not only children of civilians, the use of the estimated
civilian population would be fallacious, and it has been
suggested by the Registrar-General that the Birth Rates for the
year 1915 should be calculated upon the existing estimated
population of 1914. This we have done.