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The Council decided to help residents and occupiers of business
premises to discharge their duties under the Rats and Mice Destruction
Act, and additional staff was engaged for the purpose.
Much detailed inspection of the Borough was carried out, the
work to be done was considered and appraised, and the preparation
of a plan for carrying it out was put in hand.
All of the staff of the Department worked efficiently and very
willingly; and all are looking forward to the time when the removal
of restrictions inevitably imposed by a great National emergency
will enable arrears to be made good and steady and thoughtful
progress to be resumed.
VITAL STATISTICS.
Before recording the vital statistics for 1945 I am presenting
tables showing the statistics covering the 25 years from 1920 to
,1944—the period between the end of the first war and the closing
of the war just ended. In addition to being a record of the Public
Health in Beckenham in recent years, these tables provide a standard
with which the various rates for the year under review can be
compared.
The twenty-five years have been divided into five 5-year
periods and the rates shown are the rates for the whole of each
such period.
These 5-year periods correspond fairly closely with phases in
the development of the Borough. Thus, 1920—1924 was the
period of re-settlement and reconstruction after the first war ;
1925—1929 was a relatively stable period with little growth and
only a gradual increase in the population; 1930—1934 saw a great
development particularly in the Eden Park and Short lands areas;
1935—1939 was the period between the amalgamation of Beckenham
and West Wickham and the outbreak of war; and 1940—1944 was
the war period.

LIVE BIRTH RATE.
The table shows the rise following the end of the first war
followed by a steady decline; the slight increase after the inclusion
of West Wickham within the Borough and definite increase during
the war.
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