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7
small. No really large buildings were erected, either
of a public or private character, the exceptions being
a large "Kinema Theatre " and a commodious Church
Hall. There is evidence that suitable accommodation,
although sufficient to meet the average demand of the
better classes of the population, is certainly becoming
more difficult to obtain by the labouring portion of our
population, and doubtless something requires to be
done to increase and improve this class of dwellings.
To a great degree the working man is called upon to
pav rents out of proportion to his wages, and, consequently,
an insufficient amount of his wages is left for
procuring the necessaries of living, and this is felt more
by those having large families. The provision of
cheaper and suitable cottages for the labouring classes,
however desirable, is, as I know, a very difficult problem.
It is not the character of the accommodation
I wish especially to refer to so much as its cost. Notwithstanding
difficulties, no family is permitted to remain
inadequately or unhealthily housed, or to be
overcrowded, and all instances of such coming to our
knowledge are at once remedied.
Deaths.
Five hundred and six deaths were registered in the
Borough, giving a net death rate of 7.3 per 1,000 of
the population, but to the above number there has to
be added the deaths of 110 residents which occurred
outside the Borough (and were not registered in the
district), making a total of 616 deaths, and giving a
gross death rate of 8.9 per 1,000 of the population for
the past year, or one in every 111.2 of our number.
This rate is a reduction of .8 per 1,000 compared with
the previous year. The (provisional) death rate for
England and Wales is 13.4, and for the ninety-six
great towns, including London, 14.3 per 1,000. The
deaths of fourteen non-residents were registered in
the Borough, and transferred to their respective
districts.