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births.
the month; in November, three-quarters, and in December, two-thirds the average. In July
and October the fall was more than twice the average, while in June the fall in ten days was
three times the average for the whole month. The total rainfall for the year was three
inches more than that recorded in the wettest year known.
Of the whole country, one of the wettest areas lay in the south, triangular in shape,
reaching from Swanage to Brighton on the coast, and extending northwards to include the
whole of the Thames basin. The relatively driest area was on the north-east coast, covering
the county of Norfolk, and extending up to Hull.
BIRTHS.
The births registered within the Borough during last year (52 weeks) numbered 3,302
(viz., 1,658 of boys and 1,644 of girls), as compared with a total of 3,305 for the previous
year (53 weeks). Last vear's birth-rate was 22.62 per 1,000 persons, and that of 1902
(duly corrected for the extra week), 22.41—thus showing a slight increase of 0.21 per 1,000.
In 1901 the rate was 23.29 per 1,000 (Table 3).

In Table 1 in the Appendix will be found particulars of the births and birth-rates for
the eleven vears 1893-1903, and in Table 2, similar information as regards numbers of births
for each Registration Sub-District. Last year's rate was 1.84 per 1,000 below the decennial
mean rate (24.48).
In St. Mary's Sub-District 2,483 births where registered, equal to a rate of 26.02, being
nearly 2 per thousand less than the mean (28.01). In St. John's Sub-District the births
numbered 382, the birth-rate being 11.37, or one less than the mean (12.37), and in NorthWest
Paddington the 437 births were equal to a rate of 25.82, or 3.83 below the mean
(29.65). In the last case the numbers of births in the years prior to 1901 have been estimated,
the actual numbers registered not being available. The rates for those years (and con-