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URBAN DISTRICT OF ERITH.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
Medical Officer of Health,
FOR THE YEAR, 1903.
ERITH, KENT.
18th March, 1904.
To the Urban District Council of Erith.
Gentlemen,
I beg to submit my Annual Report for the year 1903, in accordance with the Regulations of the
Local Government Board.
Population and Physical Features of the District.
It is difficult to correctly estimate the population of this District, which is peopled chiefly by the
Manufacturing and partly by the Agricultural Classes.
The Census Returns for 1901 showed the population to be 25,296, with 4,291 inhabited houses.
Since then 1,049 houses have been erected; and there has been an increase of Births over Deaths of
2,022, making an increase in the population of 8,316, or, a total of 33,612 ; averaging 6.0 persons per
house, but at the time the Census was taken every house was fully occupied, and the majority of the
houses were occupied by two families.
Whereas it is now known there are 450 houses entirely empty, and many hundreds of others only
half occupied. Also from enquiry at five of the largest Factories in the District, I find that there are
less men by 2,411 employed than when the Census was taken. The Building and other Trades are
almost at a standstill, so this would make a, further reduction of 500 men, and it is known that many of
these men and families have left the District.
There are now 4,890 occupied houses, which, at 5.5 persons per house would give a population of
26,895, which figures I have taken for statistical purposes.
Deaths.
There were 286 Deaths registered in the District. This is a decrease of 50 as compared with last
year, giving a death rate of 10.63 per 1,000 ; or by deducting 8 deaths which occurred at the Royal Alfred
Institution, 3 Suicides, and 16 Accidents, a total of 27; the number of Deaths would be reduced to 259,
or a death rate of 9.63 per 1,000 of the population.