LOWEST ON RECORD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1307, 9 December 1911, Page 3

LOWEST ON RECORD.

STRIKING BIR.TH AND DEATH BETURNS FOE SCOTLAND. Tho fifty-fifth detailed annual report of '■ tho Kegistrar-Geucral o£ Births, Woatbi, and Marriages iu Scotland iu 1909 lias been issued in tho form of a 131 uo Book. Among the more noteworthy features of the year 190!) are the lowncss of (ho four principal rates—Hie birthrate. Urn nmr-riage-rato, the death-rate, and _. tho. in> I'antilo mortality-rate Tho birtJi-rntPj-, the death-rate, and tho infantile mortal-.),: ily-rato are each tho lowest ou record;(ho| marriage-rate, is lower than all previous marriage-rates, those of ISBU and 188" excepted. ■ , ) This is the first year in which the Scot-1 tish death-rate has fallen below 10 perl 1000, and (ho .second year (tho other being I 11107), in which tho Scottish birth-rate has 1, fallen below 2S per 1000. A satisfactory feature of tho statistics of lliis year in tho continued decline of tho doath-ra(«, from tuberculosis of all forms, and from phthisis, both these rates being tho' low* est yet recorded. ; i The births of 128,000 living children were registered in Scotland during 1900. They J nro 2093 fewer than those registered iiij tho previous year, 2575 less than tho aver., ago number registered during tho pre-i ceding five years, and 2905 less than the' average number during the preceding ten.' years. It is tho smallest number of births registered in Si-otlaud in any year fciuco 1593.. Of tho 128,009 children regis-* tered during (he year 119.209 were legitimate, and 9370 illegitimate. ) Marriages regislcvcd in Scotland during;' 1909 numbered 80,108. They are H9S fewer than in 190S, 2209 fewer than the nvcrago number during tlie preceding five venis, 1904 t0,1908, and 215S fewer than tho aver-' age during the preceding ten years. It is tho smallest number of marriages ivgistered in Scotland iu auv vear since 1595. j Deaths registered during tho vear under review numbered 71,032. Thov wore 3200 fewer than in (he previous year, 2025 )csv than tho average during tho preceding ten, years. The deaths registered during tho year woro fewer than thoso registered in all years sinco 1890, with tho exception of 1905, when tho deaths numbered 71,53 G. I