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31
The death rates for the different wards of the
Borough are given in the table, from which it will
be seen that the Town and Hill Wards have almost
identical death rates, in both cases only slightly
higher than Surbiton. The varying death rates in
the four wards tend to prove my contention that the
highness of the death rate in one place above
another is due to the character of the population, and
the air space per head, much more than to any
differences in administration. The Town Ward has
fewer persons to the acre than Canbury, and has,
therefore, a lower death rate. Surbiton is even
more sparsely populated, and the death rate is a
little lower.
Schools.
All the Public and Elementary Schools are now
in good condition as far as the offices and drainage
are concerned. A new School in St. Luke's Parish
has been opened, and is a very good specimen of
what an elementary school should be. The lighting
and warming are good, and I hope the numbers will
be always below the maximum permitted by the
Education Department, as full schools are breeding
grounds for infectious disease, and it would be worth
while paying extra rates to give the children extra
air space.
Dairies, Bakehouses, &c.
Dairies, Bakehouses, and Slaughter-houses have
all been visited, and are kept up to the standard
required by law.
Insanitary Houses.
Inspections of houses in various parts of the
Borough have been made, and several owners have
been called upon to improve the condition of their
property. Many of these houses are kept in such a