London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Walthamstow 1904

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]

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II
Looking at the returns of the Education Committee's Attendance
Officers, and assuming that the '' number of occupied houses " means
the total possible to be occupied and allowing for empty houses, we
arrive at a population of 109,036 in this manner :—

TABLE IV.

Wards." Number of occupied Houses."Number of empty Houses.Persons per House.Population.
St. James' Street4,139228623,466
High Street3,5551316321,571
Hoe Street4,3242545522,385
Wood Street2,994262616,392
Northern5,1517265'725,222

Taking into account the number of empty houses as found by the
Overseers—1702—and the Education Committee—16ul—and the ratio
of empty to occupied houses ; on these data and comparing them with
what existed in the census year, I have no doubt that a population
of 108,000 is nearer to the actual figures than 109,000
Upon the estimated population of the Registrar-General for England
and Wales and the " 76 Great Towns" all rates are based, I assume,
then, our population to be 111,282—the Registrar-General's estimate—
for comparative purposes. At the same time rates calculated on the
truer estimate of 1"8,000 will be given.
As it is impossible to give the population of the different wards
accurately, I assume, for statistical and comparative purposes, the
number of inhabitants to be as follows, allowing a small variation from
the numbers given on page 10 :—
St. James St. High St. Hoe St. Wood St. Northern. Total.
23,600 20,400 23,100 16,600 24,300 = 108,000
1903. 23,600 20,000 22,500 16,500 23,500=106,100
Noting that the natural increase of the population for the year is 2,319,
the figure 108,000 seems a low estimate as compared with last year.
This is apparent, not real, when it is borne in mind that the proportion
of empty houses has risen from 1 in 17'4 to 1 in H'7, and,
believing that these figures are as nearly correct as possible, they will be
used throughout the report.
As a further check in estimating the population the following will serve.