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4
POPULATION.
THE population of the District at the middle of the year, 1900, was
estimated to be 15,000 (excluding the occupants of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board Hospital, at Winchmore Hill).
This estimate was arrived at by taking the number of occupied
houses on the rate books at that time, and allowing 5½ occupants to
each, which is considered to be a fair average for this district. This is
the meet reliable method of estimating the population in a growing
district such as this, increasing unequally year by year. Calculated
on this basis the population works out at 15,334; but the
lower figure is purposely taken as a basis for compiling the vital statistics,
so as not to make them appear more favourable than they really
are, as would be the case if the population were over estimated. As it
is now nine years since the last census, it is possible that this estimate
is not as accurate as is desired, but it is as near the truth as it is possible
to make it, and any miscalculation there may be will be corrected when
the census is taken this year.
The populations of the various localities which make up the
District were estimated to be as follows
Southgate, 4,194 ; New Southgate, 3,548 ; Winchinore Hill, 2,698
and Palmers Green and Bowes, 4,560.
This was an increase of 500 over that of the previous year, due
chiefly to the increase of occupied houses in the District.
The Natural Increase of the population by excess of births over
deaths during the year was only 175.
Number of People to the Acre.—The area of the District is 3,587
acres, which, with a population of 15,000 gives an average of 41 people
to the acre. The distribution of the population is, however, very uneven,
there being several large areas in the District very sparsely populated,
while some parts, more especially at New Southgate, are somewhat
densely populated.
BIRTHS—BIRTH-RATE.
During the year, 320 births were registered ; a decrease of 46 on
the previous year. This gives a birth-rate of only 21.3 per 1000 of the
population. This is a very low birth-rate, and the lowest on record in
this District, the next lowest being 22.1, which was the birth-rate in
1898. The average rate for the previous 10 years was 26.1.
The birth-rate for the whole country is steadily decreasing. The
rate for England and Wales last year was 28.9, which was lower than
that in any other year on record, while the average rate for the previous
10 years was 30.2.