London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Finchley 1906

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]

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7
Vital Statistics. Population and Acreage.
In order to permit of comparison with previous years and
other districts, it is obviously necessary to express the birth
and mortality returns in the form of rates per thousand of
population, but unless the yearly estimates of population on
which these rates are based are approximately true, one's deductions
are apt to be incorrect. The population of Finchley
at the census of 1891 was 16,647, and at the census of 1901,
22,126. Assuming that the same rate of increase persisted
to the middle of last year, the population would then have
amounted to 25,690. The extent of recent building operations
leads one to believe that the population is in reality considerably
in excess of this figure, and the number of occupied houses
on the rate books supports this view. Under the circumstances
I have, as on previous occasions, calculated the population
from the number of houses in occupation, allotting to each the
average number of inhabitants found at the time of the last
census. And it is the figure thus obtained that I have made
use of throughout my report. As the rate books are made up
at the end of the first and third quarter, and the population
has to be estimated for the middle of the year, a further source
of error is introduced, but in the absence of a more frequent
census enumeration I know of no method likely to give more
accurate results.

The population and number of occupied houses in each of the sub-districts estimated for the end of June, 1906, is as follows:—

Occupied Houses.Estimated Population.
East Finchley2,05711,519
North Finchley1,2957,252
West Finchley1,7269,666
Whetstone4132,313
Total5,49130,750