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10
Births.
An explanation of Table 3 is necessary. In former years
the ward distribution of both the notified and the registered births
was possible, because the registrar of births and deaths supplied me
with the list of births and deaths registered in the district. The
Notification of Births Act rendered a complete list of the births
unnecessary, and the registrar now supplies me only with a list of
the births registered but not notified. As a birth has to be notified
within 36 hours, and six weeks is allowed before registration must
take place, it may happen that the number of notified births may
differ considerably from the number of registered births. In
order to give an approximate idea of the birth-rate of each ward
the list of notified births has been utilized together with thesaregistered
in the district but not notified.
Table 3 includes the births notified during the year and those
registered in the district but not notified ; it does not include the
births belonging to the district but registered outside.
On Table 4, the number of births are those registered during
the calendar year and are corrected for inward and outward transfers;
these numbers differ not only from those on Table 3, but also
from the uncorrected registered births compiled locally either for
the calendar year or for a period of 52 or 53 weeks.
The figures on Table 4 are supplied by the Registrar General
and the birth-rate has been calculated upon these figures and not
upon those in Table 3.
The birth-rate is considerably higher than that of the two
previous years, and the rate is higher in the second half of the year
than in the first half.
The rate for the whole year is still much lower than it was in
the pre-war period, though the rate for the second half of the year
nearly approached that of 1914. Unless the population is greatly
underestimated, the birth-rate for the first quarter of 1920 was as
high as that of the years immediately preceding the war.
Illegitimate births numbered 64, compared with 52 in 1918.
but the illegitimate birth-rate based upon the total births was only
slightly higher, viz.:—58 compared with 57 per 1,000 births in 1918.
Infectious Diseases.
On Table 9 are given the Notifications of Infectious Diseases