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5
To The Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan
Borough of Bethnal Green.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1 have the honour to submit my Annual Report for the year 1950.
General Standard of Health.
The general health of the Borough was satisfactory during the year. A
decrease in the total number of notifications of compulsorily notifiable
diseases occurred as compared with the previous year, the figures being 710
and 974 respectively. The decrease was most marked in relation to Measles
and Scarlet Fever. Whooping Cough, however, did show an increased
number of notifications.
Population.
The estimated population of the Borough for 1950 according to the
Registrar General's statistics was 58,730, the figure for the previous year
being 59,170.
Vital Statistics.
The number of live births registered was 983 which gave a birth rate of
16.7 per 1,000 population as compared with 17.5 for the year 1949.
The death rate for the Borough was 12.3 as against 12.6 for the previous
year, while that for the country as a whole is given as 11.6. The standardised
rate was 13.3.
The Infant Death Rate of 28.5 per 1,000 live births is considerably lower
than the figure of 31.9 for the previous year and compares very favourably
with the rate of 29.8 for England and Wales. The rate for the administrative
County of London was 26.3.
Housing.
The position with regard to the provision of housing accommodation
in the Borough still remains very difficult. The work of the Department in
this connection is set out in detail in Section D. It is anticipated that the
broad proposals in relation to the slum clearance programme will be made
known in the near future and a start made to deal with the most urgent areas.
Inspection and Supervision of Food.
The work of the Authorities' officers in this connection is set out in
detail in Section E of the report. This occasion affords an opportunity of
expressing thanks to the Central Office of Information and the National
Screen Service, Ltd., the local Cinema industry and the Managemen of a