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5
estimate the population of Bethnal Green in round numbers at
128,000.
Bethnal Green contains an area of 755 acres, and 17,94.5 houses :
this gives a population of 169*5 persons to the acre, and an average
of 7*i persons to each house. The number of persons to an acre for
the whole of London being 46'3.
By the New Registration Act, which came into operation on the
1st of January, 1875, some alterations were made in the system of
registering both births and deaths. All parents are now required,
under penalty, to attend at the office of the Local Registrar and give
personal information respecting the births of their children, within
forty-two days, or else to send a notice to the Registrar to attend at
the house of the informant. In former years people have neglected
to register their children's births, for the purpose of evading the
Vaccination Act; this they can no longer do without subjecting
themselves to a penalty.
With respect to deaths, medical men are now compelled, under a
heavy penalty, to furnish certificates of death in all cases attended
by them. It is probable that, by the operation of this Act, additional
accuracy will be obtained in statistics of births and deaths. The
total number of deaths during the year from all causes was 3020,
against 3142 in 1874-5; the number of births during the same period
being 5255, against 5152 in the previous year.
This is shown in a
tabular form below:—
1874-5.
1875.6.
Total Births
5152
5255
Total Deaths
3H2
3020
Excess of Births over Deaths
2010
2235
It will thus be seen that, although the population is greater, the
deaths have diminished, and the births have increased. The difference
between this year and last, of the excess of births over deaths,
being 225 in favour of the current year.