View report page

16
METEOROLOGY.
inhabitants per occupied assessment were calculated, and those averages applied to the numbers
of occupied assessments—separately for each Ward—on June ..30th, 1911, 1912, and 1913. By
this method the following estimated populations for those years were obtained:—
Estimated Population.
Borough.
1911. 1912. 1913.
By Waters' method 142,513 142,362 142,261
On Occupied Assessments 143,789 145,164 146,691
Differences +1,276 +2,802 +4,430
The estimated population for 1913 thus obtained shows an increase of 4,140 persons, instead of
a decrease of 290. On the whole it would appear that such increase is a closer approximation
to the truth than the estimate first given. It is, however, undesirable to use the suggested
population, as it would render impossible any comparison with the rates for other districts. The
estimates on occupied assessments will be calculated each year until the next census, with a view
to putting the method to a crucial test.
METEOROLOGY.
The usual data, taken from The Times, of the results of the observations made at the Royal
Botanic Society.s Garden, are submitted in Table 14.
The year may be described as an average one, devoid of specially interesting phenomena.
The mean temperature at 9 a.m. was slightly higher in 1913 than in 1912, but not quite so high
as in 1911. With the exception of the record of 1910, when it was 82°, the absolute maximum
last year (84°) is the lowest for the six years (1908.13). The absolute minimum temperature
(27°) is notably above the minima recorded during the preceding five years. The total amount
of rainfall measured (22.52 ins.) was below the amounts recorded in each of the years 1908.12,
and while the amount of bright sunshine (1,206 hours) was also the lowest of the records for the
six years, the number of days upon which records were obtained (278) was higher than for any
year except 1908 (285), when over 200 hours of additional bright sunshine were recorded.
From a public health point of view, the weather of the "summer " quarter is of most interest
from the too frequent occurrence of summer diarrhcea when the weather is seasonable. Last
year the summer months (June.August) were not marked by an excessive prevalence of diarrhoea,
and the data for those months, summarised below, are such as might be expected when diarrhcea

is not prevalent. There was, however, an exceptional incidence of diarrhcea, evidenced both by
cases and deaths, during the "autumn" (September.November), and for that reason the principal
meteorolcgical data have been specially summarised.