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31
The subjoined table (VI.) gives the vital statistics for the
Wards in the Town. It is seen that the Wards with the highest
birth-rates were Whitehorse Manor (20.8), South Norwood (19.4),
Broad Green (18.9), and Thornton Heath (18.0).
Those with the lowest were: Upper Norwood (8.5), Norbury
110.0), and South (10.9).
Deaths.—The deaths numbered 2,674, compared with 2,337
last year. For 1931 the death-rate was 11.4. The death-rate for
England and Wales was 12.3, and for the 107 Great Towns 12.3.
For London the death-rate was 12.4. The male death-rate was
11.8, the female 11.2 for the Borough.
There were 198 inquests held by Coroners in respect of Croydon
residents during 1931, and 121 findings by Coroners after postmortem
examination without inquest.
Wards with the highest death-rates were: Cental (14.9),
Whitehorse Manor (14.0), and Broad Green (13.9). Those with
the lowest were' Norbury (8.3), Thornton Heath (10.0), West
Thornton (10.1), and Upper Norwood (10.2).
Natural Increase.—The excess of birth over deaths was 726
or 3.1 per 1,000 of the population. A comparison with previous
years is given below.
Immigration is apparently playing a larger part than emigration
and is leading to a rapid population increase. In the nature
of things this is a difficult factor to estimate with any accuracy
and in time leads to deductions based on total population being
only approximate. In a town like Croydon standardisation of rates
upon group ages of population is a valuable method of arriving at
more accurate results, but this cannot be done without a census.
The longer the period from the last Census the more problematical
do statistics become.