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At the same time the subject bristles with difficulties. It is
admitted that at present methods are imperfect and crude. What
will be the result if these methods are perfected. It has been
calculated that such a consummation would probably halve the
birth-rate. It is useless to speculate if our present civilisation
based on monogamy would survive. A change in the environment
would change the outlook of the individual and the community,
but whatever the future may bring forth, it is certain that the Victorian
attitude to marriage will not be recaptured. Birth-control
is one of the results of emancipated womanhood, and the big families
of the last century will not figure in the social life of the future.
DEATHS.
456 deaths were registered in the district; of these 35 were
of non-residents. 321 deaths of residents occurred outside the district.
The total number of deaths belonging to the district is 742,
which corresponds to a death-rate of 10.5 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The table giving the causes of death, age-distribution, &c.,
is given on a later page, but in the return supplied by the Registrar
General, the total number of deaths is given as 743. The difference
is too small to affect the different rates, and the slight discrepancy
is easily explained.
In the list of outside deaths for the first quarter of the year
there are allways included some deaths which belonged to the
previous year. As the first quarter's list of outside deaths is
received some time in May, it is usually too late to include them in
the returns for the year under review.
In the outside death returns for the first quarter of 1931,
there were 3 deaths which had occurred on December 30th, 1930.
These have been included in the figures for 1931, as intimation was
received too late for their inclusion in the tables for 1930. Although
possibly not strictly accurate it is the only method available if
all the deaths are to be included in our returns.
But there are very many differences in the number of deaths
from the different diseases. The most important one is the number
of deaths attributed to heart disease.
In the Registrar General's return the number is 164, and in
Table 1 the number given is 71, but in the Registrar General's return
the number of deaths from Senility is only 20. There were
115 deaths in persons over 80 years of age last year; of these 42
were over 85 and 10 over 90 years of age. It is fairly obvious that
more than 20 deaths should be classified as old age, but they are
placed under other headings because of the nomenclature used by