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8
houses in certain parts of Bethnal Green. People fear that if the
true state of things becomes known they will be turned into the
streets, and they are well aware of the difficulty that they will
experience in finding new quarters.
The Registrar-General is of opinion that the population of Bethnal
Green is decreasing, for he estimates it at 129,027 only ; but taking
into consideration the facts I have detailed, one is drawn to the
conclusion that our numbers must be increasing. On the other
hand the number of births returned by the local registrars was
thirty-nine fewer in 1898 than it was in 1897. Now this would
appear tc confirm the opinion of the Somerset House authorities,
and to indicate an actual decrease of population, were it not for the
fact that the birth rate for the whole of London has decreased proportionately,
and is the lowest on record.
Under these circumstances I think it will be fair to assume that
our numbers are stationary, and that the estimate for 1897 represents
our population in 1898. A birth rate for Bethnal Green
in 1898 calculated upon the estimate for 1897 gives a figure which
is still 7J per 1000 in excess of the general Metropolitan rate for
the same period, a proportion identical with that of 1897.