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12
Metropolitan Borough of St. Pancras.
REPORT
of the
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
For the Year 1928.
Fur the purpose of this Report, the year consists of the 52 weeks ended 29th December, 1928.
Section 1.-STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS OF THE AREA.
POPULATION AND GENERAL STATISTICS.
The population of the Borough at the Census of 1921 was 211,366.
From that date, according to the estimates of the Registrar-General, it gradually
increased year by year until 1926, when the population was estimated to have reached a total
of 216,810.
A sudden and rather remarkable decrease appears to have occurred during the year 1927,
when the Registrar-General estimated the total population to be only 213,200, and an even
greater decrease during 1928 for which year the population is estimated to be only 206,000.
The estimated decrease during the past two years is therefore greater than the
estimated increase which occurred during the preceding five years. Some decrease has
doubtless occurred, owing to the demolition of a number of houses in connection with the
London County Council Ossulston Street area rebuilding scheme, to the removal of a number
of families to Becontree, Downham, llendon, and other places, and also, to some extent, to the
use of premises for industrial purposes which previously were residential in character.
The reduction due to the above causes has been minimised by the development of the
Holly Lodge Estate in the north of the Borough, by the excess of births over deaths, and by
the conversion of a number of the larger houses, originally occupied by one family, into flats
occupied by a number of families.
Exact information will not be available until the next census in 1931, but for the
reasons stated above I think the Registrar-General has under-estimated the population of the
Borough.
Attention may be directed to the fact that population is one of the factors influencing
the amount of "Block" grant local authorities are to receive under the New Local Government
Act. It is unfortunate, therefore, this decrease in population should have occurred at
this particular time. It may also be noted that a similar decrease in population appears to
have occurred in practically all the Metropolitan Boroughs.
The figures of the Registrar-General have, however, been used throughout this report,
the estimate of total population being used for calculating the marriage and birth rates and
the estimate of the civilian population for calculating the death rate,