View report page

4
rially alter my estimate of the population at
the middle of 1905, which 1 put down at 45,000,
when requested to express an opinion several
months ago. The conclusion I have come to now is
that for the purpose of this report, the population
for the middle of last year should be estimated
at 46,000, and, therefore, upon that number
I have calculated the birth and death rates
for the year.
Deaths.
The deaths actually registered as occurring in
the borough during 1905, were 435 (males. 204;
females 231), but to this number must be added
the deaths of seventy-eight residents which took
place outside the district, and are included for
purposes of calculation, making up a total of
513. It is only for last year that this information
is available so that the increased rate of
mortality shown for the past year compared
with the previous one is more apparent than
real, owing to the deaths of these residents in
places outside the borough not having been previously
included for calculation.
Death Rate.
The death rate on this estimated population
of 46,000 inhabitants is equal to 11.15 per 1,000,
or 1 in 89 of the population. Table No. 1, which
is appended shows this rate for the last decade.
The annual death rate per 1,000 persons living
for 1905 in England and Wales was equal to 15.2.
This is 1.0 below the rate in 1901, and lower than
the rate in any other year on record. In
seventy-four great towns it was 15.7; in 141
smaller towns, 14.4; and in England and Wales,
less the 217 towns. 14.9
The usual table (No 4) is appended, showing
the distribution of deaths in the different wards
of the borough, and classified according to age
and causation.
Infantile Deaths.
The infantile death rate, which includes all
infants under one year of age, is calculated in
the usual manner on the number of births registered,
and is equal to a rats of 101.7. This
happily shows a slight decrease in comparison
with the previous year, when it was 105.3, and
compares very favourably with 1903, which was
so high as 136.8. when, during the summer of
that year there was a heavy mortality amongst
infants from diarrhœa. The infantile death
rate per 1,000 births for the whole of England
and Wales equalled 128. but in (he seventy-six