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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Borough of Wimbledon.
Gentlemen,
As required by the General Orders of the Local Government
Board of December, 1910, I beg to present my fifth
Annual Report for the year 1913.
The statistics, though not so satisfactory as last year,
which was the best year on record, are still very good.
There is an increase in the nett death-rate, but much of
this is due to the large number of transferable deaths which
have been credited to this district, namely, 154. By
referring to Table I. it will be seen that whereas before the
new arrangement the deaths of residents not registered in
the district which were credited to Wimbledon were 71 in
1908, 64 in 1909, and 49 in 1910, since then the figures have
been, in 1911, 119; in 1912, 119; and in 1913, the year under
report, 154. By referring, however, to column 6, Table I.,
it will be seen that the death-rate for the district proper is 8.6,
which is extremely satisfactory.
The Zymotic death-rate is 1.28, there being 75 deaths
notified under this heading, which is 42 more than last year.
The returns of vital statistics and infectious diseases
drawn up on forms supplied by the Local Government Board
are appended in Tables I., II., III., and IV.
Physical Features and General Characteristics of the
District.—The district is wholly situated on London clay. In
the higher portions of Wimbledon Common and the district
surrounding, the clay is capped with gravel, which seldom
attains a depth of more than eight feet. The gravel covers
a considerable area, roughly speaking about 800 acres. Beds
of sand are met with in South Wimbledon, which are shallow,
not more than three feet deep, and are simply the filling in
of pot holes. The clay is covered with an alluvial deposit
along the valley of the Wandle and the extreme southern
portion of Cottenham Park.
The underground water on the low-lying ground near the
Wandle is only materially altered by flooding, and is very
close to the surface, so much so that special bye-laws are
made controlling the erection of houses in this district. On
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