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During the year under review some further progress was made in the establishment of maternity
and child-welfare centres (see p. 15). The Notification of Births Extension Act enabling local
authorities to make arrangements for the care of mothers, including expectant mothers and young
children came into operation in 1915.
Exceptional attention was devoted during the year to the seamen's lodging-houses in East London,
in view of possible risk of the introduction of infectious disease. Special difficulty is encountered in
dealing with the houses occupied by Chinamen, and much time has been spent in endeavouring to trace
changes of occupation in order to secure that, as far as practicable, these houses shall be duly licensed
by the Council. The treatment of tuberculosis under the provisions of the National Insurance Acts,
1911 and 1913, has been largely developed throughout the year, the number of beds now available being
120 for adults, and 236 for children. The prevalence of verminous conditions amongst certain sections
of the population has somewhat increased, but it must be borne in mind that to some extent such increase
might have been anticipated, having regard to the conditions on the Continent. The report concludes
with statements relating to the Mental Deficiency Act, the Midwives Act, the General Powers Act,
1915, Section IV., dealing with lying-in homes, and the work carried out in the chemical and analytical
branch of the public health department.
A.—Vital Statistics.
Population.
The population of London county at the census of 1911 (3rd April) was 4,521,685; and
it was estimated by the Registrar-General to have been 4,518,021 in the middle of 1914. In the course
of 1915 there were considerable changes not only in regard to actual numbers, but also in relative age
and sex constitution, and in the distribution among the different metropolitan boroughs. Material
for gauging approximately the effect upon the aggregate population of the county, and of the borough
populations individually, is provided by the National Register of persons aged 15 -65, compiled in August,
1915, from which the Registrar-General has prepared estimates of the average civil population of London
and its constituent boroughs for that year. The total civil population of London thus estimated was
4,310,030. The populations of the boroughs, abstracted from the fourteenth weekly return of the
Registrar General for 1916, p. 221, will be found in the table on page 17. In order to obtain data relating
to this population, the Registrar General has excluded deaths occurring among members of His Majesty's
forces during the year, and hence rates for the civil population can be calculated for London and for each
borough. The resulting rates are the best that can be obtained under the wholly abnormal circumstances,
but it is obvious that comparisons of these rates with those of normal years must be made with
caution.
The "civil population," as compared with the normal is deficient in males of military age, 19 -40,
and at these ages the death-rate is considerably below that of the normal population as a whole. Moreover,
those of this age on active service form a selected group, since persons found to be suffering from
disease are not recruited. For these reasons the rates calculated upon the civil population must be
overstated.
One effect of the war which deserves to be taken especially into account in dealing with the
population of the County of London is the arrestment of building activity, the result of which has undoubtedly
been to check the outward movement of the population which has been going on for some time,
more particularly north of the Thames. This factor, in conjunction with the influx of refugees, the
movement of working-class persons engaged in munition factories, and the probable inaccuracy of the
National Register itself, must be held to account for the great divergency in the percentage of reduction
by enlistment which the estimates of the Registrar-General show in different metropolitan boroughs.
Marriages.
The number of marriages in the administrative county of London in 1915 was 58,354, as compared
with 43,373 in 1914, and 41,409 in 1913. The increase is observable in each quarter of 1915,
as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1914. An almost steady increase in the marriage-rate
has been observable for six years past, the rate having risen from 16.9 in 1909 to 19.2 in 1914. The
estimated " civil population " in 1915 cannot be used for the calculation of the marriage-rate for that
year, since the males married include a number of men on service, but taking a probable population
of four and a-half millions, the rate would be 25.9 per 1,000 living. There is, however, reason for thinking
that a considerable number of these marriages may not properly belong to the London population, since
while the London figures show an increase in 1915 over 1914 of 34 per cent., the corresponding increase
for the rest of England and Wales is only 20 per cent.
Births.
The number of births in the administrative county of London in 1915 was 102,117
as compared with 109,952 in 1914. The birth-rate in 1915 calculated on the civil population is, therefore,
23.6, which may be compared with the rate of 24.3 in 1914. The average for 1909-13 was 25.0.
As noted above, however, there has been a marked increase in the number of marriages since 1914,
and it is probable that this fact may in part account for the relatively small decline so far in the birthrate.
Comparison of the quarterly figures for 1914 and 1915 shows that the births begin to fall off in
the second quarter of 1915, as compared with 1914, and fall away markedly in the third and fourth
quarters of the latter year. The births registered in the first quarter of 1916 numbered 25,443, as
compared with the similar figure in 1915 of 28,240 (and of 28,235 in 1914). In the second quarter of