View report page

Office of the Board of Works for the Whitechapel District,
No. 15, Great Alie Street,
London, E.,
February 21st, 1888.
Gentlemen,
The Registrar-General informs us that in the year
1886, remarkable low Rates prevailed. The marriage-rate was the
lowest on record, being in London 16.6 persons married to 1000
inhabitants. The birth-rate in London was in the proportion of
32.3 births to 1000 inhabitants; a rate (with the exception of 1850
when it was 32.0 per 1000) which was unequalled. The death-rate
was 19.9 per 1000. The rate in 1885 was 19.8 per 1000, and these
constitute the lowest recorded death-rates since the present system
of civil registration began. In the volume from which I quote, the
same allowances are made for residents and non-residents which I
have introduced into my Annual Reports, and the accuracy of the
Official figures, so far as our District is concerned, is worth noting.
Thus, the total number of the Residents' deaths, wherever
occurring, is given as 1629, which is only 5 more than the correct
number, and other statistical calculations are equally accurate.
In fact, were the summary published six months earlier, many of
my own details would be altogether anticipated by it.