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VITAL STATISTICS
Population.—The population of the Borough at the 1931 census was 76,460 and the RegistrarGeneral's
mid-year estimate of the population for the year 1950 is 107,300. This figure includes members
of the armed forces stationed in the Borough.
Rateable Value.—The rateable value of the Borough for 1950 was £983,775 and the sum represented
by a penny rate was £3,993.
Inhabited Houses.—According to the rate books the number of inhabited houses at the end of the
year was 28,428. In relation to the estimated population this yields an average of approximately 4 persons
per house. While this average appears to be low, accurate information will not be available till after the
1951 census.
Live Births.—The number of live births in 1950 was 1,247 as compared with 1,449 in 1949. The
birth rate was 11.6 per 1,000 population. This is the lowest birth rate in the Borough records. The birth
rate will vary, apart from other causes, according to the age and sex distribution of the population and to
permit of a true comparison with other areas the Registrar-General supplies for each local sanitary authority
what is called the area comparability factor. When this is applied to the above Borough birth rate the
result is 11.1 as compared with the birth rate of 15.8 per 1,000 population for England and Wales.
The number of illegitimate births was 51 as compared with 60 in 1949. The proportion of live births
which were illegitimate, expressed as a percentage of the total live births, is shown below for recent years :—
1925-29 3.9
1930-34 3.2
1935-39 2.9
1940-44 4.6
1945-49 5.1
1950 4.1
Stillbirths.—The number of stillbirths in 1950 was 23 (22 legitimate, 1 illegitimate).

Deaths.—A difficulty in the quantitative study of deaths has always been the classification of the
causes of deaths into groups. With the setting up of the General Register Office of England and Wales in
1837 the matter of the names and statistical classification of disease became a subject of constant study.
The need for a uniform classification of disease, not only for local and national use, but also for international
use, was soon recognised, and since 1885, various international classifications have been used. With the
development of medical knowledge the need for revision of the classification arises and in 1900 it was agreed
that decennial revisions were desirable. Since the last revision in 1938 the need for the quantitative study
of disease as well as of death has been realised and the World Health Organisation issued in 1948 Regulations
regarding Nomenclature (including the Compilation and Publication of Statistics) with Respect to Diseases
and Causes of Death to come into force on 1st January, 1950. These Regulations were adopted by Great
Britain and throughout this report the new classification is used.
The deaths of residents of the Borough during 1950 were 1,065 (529 male, 536 female). This
represents a death rate for the Borough of 9.9 per 1,000 population. The deaths in any area are influenced
by the sex and age distribution of the population and to permit of a true comparison the Registrar-General
calculates for each local sanitary authority area what is called an area comparability factor. When this is
applied to the above Borough rate the result is 10.9 as compared with a death rate of 11.6 per 1,000
population for England and Wales.
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