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9
THE WEEKLY MORTALITY RETURNS.
Having thus stated in detail such statistical information as I
usually place before you in my reports, this may be the time to offer
an explanation as to why my report did not appear in July last.
I feel it my duty to state the facts exactly in the order they
occurred, inasmuch as very considerable difficulties have been thrown
of late in your way as a sanitary authority—difficulties which,
in the interests of the public and of their representatives in the
several metropolitan boards and vestries, should never have been
allowed to occur. It has for many years, indeed since the passing
of the "Metropolis Local Management Act" in 1855, been the
custom of the Registrar General to forward to the various metropolitan
medical officers of health, after he had done with them,
the returns of the causes of death supplied to him by the several
registrars of their districts. These have been of great service to
your sanitary department, inasmuch as from these we have derived
our information as to the whereabouts of such infectious diseases
as had proved fatal, and enabled us to take such active and
prompt measures as occasion required to carry out the necessary
disinfection.
In a circular letter dated June 19th, 1874, addressed to the
various district boards and vestries, the Registrar General drew
their attention to the fact that he had received complaints from the
metropolitan registrars, that the returns furnished by them to the
central office were forwarded and made use of by the several local
authorities, after he had done with them, and without the local
registrars being paid any extra remuneration.
The Registrar General expressed himself as fully aware of the
important primary use made by him of these returns, but suggested
that their secondary use by the local authorities ought to be still
further paid for. He therefore offered to continue sending these
same returns as formerly, after they had been put to their primary
use at his office, provided that £1. was paid quarterly to each of the
registrars by the Local Authority for the returns of death up to 50,
and 1d. for each entry over and above 50, per quarter. It will be
seen, therefore, that the Registrar General still proposed to send
them as formerly, provided this arrangement was acceded to.