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an additional 645 acres. Much of the Borough is unbuilt on
and the number of persons per acre varies from 8 in Eltham
to 32 in Woolwich, the general average of the Borough being
17.
Population. The Registrar General estimates the population
of the Borough to the 30th June, 1927, as : Civil,
140,770, and Total, 144,770. These figures have come as a
surprise to me as the corresponding figures for 1926 were
141,900 and 146,200. It should be borne in mind that in
estimating populations in various areas in this country the
Registrar General adopts a uniform system, and this explains
why differences may arise between figures calculated by him
and by Medical Officers of Health. In Woolwich, much
building has been going on (it is interesting to note here
that during the year ending June, 1927, 499 houses were
erected in the Borough) ; there is definite evidence that the
Londoner still shews a tendency to move from the centre
boroughs to those on the circumference, and the figures of
the 1921 census shewed that the increase in the population
of Woolwich during the inter-censal period 1911-1921 (16
per cent.) was the highest of any of the London boroughs.
We assume from the above that the population of Woolwich
is continuing to increase, but not necessarily at the same rate.
The natural increase of population, i.e., the excess of births
over deaths, in the year under review, was 751, and in a
borough where many new houses are being erected and
unoccupied ones are difficult to find, this natural increase
alone is sufficient reason to shew that the population is
increasing and not decreasing. Some further confirmation of
this will be found in the fact that on the voters' roll in
October. 1926, there were 74,124 persons, and in 1927, 74,543.
My estimate of the population of the Borough to the
middle of 1927 was 145,620, but, as the practice in recent
years has been to accept the figures of the Registrar-General
for comparative statistical purposes, his figures have again