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5
POPULATION.
The estimated population of the district is 11,755.
The method adopted for calculating this is by multiplying
the number of inhabited houses by the number of
inhabitants per house at the last Government Census
report. The result may be taken as being approximately
correct, and rather below than above the actual figures.
BIRTHS.
The total number of births registered during the
year was 303. The number of these registered as being
illegitimate was 2. There were 148 boys and 155 girls
born. The Birth-rate per 1000 inhabitants was 25.8, as
compared with 26.4 for 1907. Average Birth-rate for
past 10 years, 28.6. The average general Birth-rate for
England and Wales is from 24 to 28 per 1000 of population.
In January there were 26 births.
„ February „ „ 16 „
„ March „ „ 28 „
,, April ,, ,, 31 „
„ May„ „ 32 „
„ June „ „ 30 „
„ July „ „ 36 „
„ August „ „ 25 „
September ,; „ 33 „
,, October „ ,, 16 ,, ■
„ November „ „ 13 ,,
,, December „ ,, 17 ,.
It will be noted that the Birth-rate for this district,
in common with that of the country generally, is on the
decrease. [Vide Table 1 of Statistics appended at end
of this Report], It seems that we are, as a nation,
confronted by the same unmistakeable tendencies that
have brought the population of France to a standstill,
imperilling the existence of that country as a Great
Power Nation. These same tendencies appear to be
working in all advanced and progressive Christian
peoples, and if permanent the ultimate consequences
must be most disastrous to the white nations of the
world. Only 3 children are born now per 1000 of population
for every 4 born a generation back. This means
that there are a million fewer persons in this country
than would have been the case had the Birth-rate
remained unchanged. The causes operating to produce
this state of things are no doubt numerous, but probably
social ambition, the great rise in the standard of comfort