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the remarkable increases in population in the districts composing
the outer ring of London, and makes some interesting comments
on the significance of this development in relation to the population
of the County of London and of the country as a whole.
He says:—
It is too early yet to discuss whether the new orientation
of population marks a definite change in the industrial structure
and organisation of the country. Such national prosperity as has
surmounted the current widespread depression appears to have
resulted largely from enterprises located in the vicinity of the
metropolis, and this has naturally attracted surplus labour from
the less fortunate areas. But the movement has been somewhat
precipitate: from current indexes of migration, like electoral
records, etc., it appears to have been concentrated mainly in the
latter half of the decennium, and further time is required to prove
whether it is more than a transient phase, to be succeeded by
an equally marked reaction if and when the older industries
regain any of their former established positions."
This movement of population is one which the new
developing districts of the Home Counties can view with
equanimity for decades to come, but for a fully-developed and
populated district like Hornsey it is a phenomenon which gives
cause for some anxiety. Any increase of population of this
Borough beyond 100,000 within its present boundaries is bound
to cause overcrowding on a scale which may endanger the public
health.
In future the census is to be taken at quinquennial intervals
instead of decennially, as in the past. It will be interesting to
learn from the census of 1936 whether the increasing pressure
of population in the past shows any sign of abating.
The Financial Crisis, 1931.
The outstanding feature in the public life of England in 1931
was the "financial crisis." It is not the duty of a Medical
Officer of Health to discuss economic and political upheavals,
except in so far as they may affect the public health. There are
certain aspects of the crisis of 1931 which bear very directly on
the public health, and therefore deserve the careful attention of
health authorities. The first is that famine played no part in