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The area of the district is 3,864 acres (less 31 of water), and the density of
the population, or the average number of persons per acre of land, is 18.4
This figure is calculated on the gross population, which includes the average
populations of Edmonton Workhouse and old Infirmary, and the Belgian
refugees, and amounts to 70,998. The patients, nurses, medical men, orderlies,
etc., at the Military Hospital, are excluded.
In the Edmonton Workhouse and old Infirmary there were estimated to
be 930 persons, of whom 396 were Edmonton residents.
BIRTHS.
The number of births registered by the Edmonton registrar, Mr. W. H.
Miller, was 1,725 (872 boys and 853 girls), which includes 11 births that took
place in the Edmonton Workhouse, born of mothers belonging to Edmonton,
and 31 of Belgian refugees. The figures for 1914, 1913 and I9i2were:—1,946,
1,912 and 1,844. Forty births which occurred at Edmonton Workhouse, born
of mothers who are not Edmonton residents, are excluded from our statistics
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just as foreign deaths are. The Registrar-General reported 12 births (7 males
and 5 females) which had taken place when Edmonton mothers were residing temporarily
out of their district; 9 of these infants were stated to be born in wedlock.
Thus the nett total of births was 1,666, excluding 31 Belgians. Of these 1,666
births, 61 (or 3.7 per cent) were illegitimate; there were 5 illegitimate Belgian
births. With reference to the cry of "war-babies galore" last year, it is a
refutation of the rumour as regards Edmonton to find that the illegitimate birth
rate is only o-i higher than in 1914, and 0.4 less than 1913 ! The birth-rate per
thousand inhabitants is therefore 23.88, compared with 27.25 last year:
including Belgian births, the rate would be 24.08.
Notification of Births Act, 1907. This came into force here on
April 28th, 1908. During this year 1,736 births were entered in our register;
of these, 869 were males and 861 females; in 6 cases the sex was not declared;
101 (over 5 per cent.) of the whole number were born out of wedlock, and 2 more
were of doubtful legitimacy. Fifty-nine children were declared "still-born."
It will be interesting to note the future effect of this Act on the number of
"still-born" burials at our Cemetery. Mr. Clement Bugg, Superintendent
there, informs me that there were 46 children styled "still-born" buried during
1915, and for 1914-13-12 the figures were 62, 63 and 69. For work done in
visiting infants and their mothers, see section "The Women Inspectors and their
Work." In a previous paragraph it is noted that 1,725 births were registered
during 1915. The figures of notification and registration will, of course, never
coincide, but they show that few, if any, births escape notification in accordance
with the Act. Twenty pairs of twins arrived, and no triplets. Besides, there
were 32 births, 19 males and 13 females, amongst Belgian women who were