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(3)
THE BIRTH RATE.
The birth rate in 1941 was 12.42 for 1,000 of the
estimated population. This is a little higher than in 1940
when it was 12.1 but is still considerably lower than in 1939
when it was 14.46. The decline in the birth rate in Finchley
has been much greater than in the country as a whole but
considerably less than in the County of London where the rate
for 1941 reached the low level of 8.9. On the other hand the
birth rate for the aggregate of the smaller towns has shown an
appreciable rise. There is little doubt that, owing to the
temporary migration of expectant mothers away from Greater
London, many births fail to be allocated to their proper area.
THE DEATH RATE.
The death rate in 1941 was 12.65 per 1,000, an
improvement on 1940 when it was 13.4 but higher than in 1939
when it was 11.1. The total number of deaths was only 29
more than in 1939 but the death rate is greater because it is
calculated on a smaller estimated population,
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
The infantile mortality rate was 21,8 per 1,000 live births
as compared with 37.97 in 1940. This is easily the lowest rate
ever recorded in Finchley, the next lowest being 32,4 in 1927.
The Finchley rate is also substantially the lowest in all the
County Boroughs and Great Towns. The corresponding rates for
England and Wales and London were 59 and 68 respectively.
In Public Health text books it is stated that the infantile
mortality rate is one of the best indices of the state of the
health of a community and, if that is so, Finchley has no reason
to be dissatisfied, especially when it is remembered that we
are dealing with the second complete year of a world war.