FEWER BABIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 November 1923, Page 7

FEWER BABIES

BRITAIN’S LOWEST RATE. The lowest birth rate in Britain in * any second quarter—except during 1 the war period—was recorded by the ■ Registrar-General during April, May f and June this year. This is perhaps ■ the outstanding feature of Die return > for the quarter, issued recently. Births registered in the second > quarter numbered 196,831, and were > 3861 more than in the preceding i quarter, but 3719 fewer than in the ’ corresponding quarter of 1922. This corresponds to an annual rate of 20.7 per 1000 of the estimated population. Of these, 196,831 births, 100,283 were boys and 96,548 girls, giving a proportion of 1039 males to . 1000 females; the average proportion • in the ten preceding second quarters ’ were .1045. Deaths registered numbered 114,040, and were 10,680 fewer than in the preceding quarter, and 6275 fewer than' in the corresponding ; quarter of 1922. They included 58,242 males and 55,789 females, > corresponding to an annual rate of 12.0 per 1 proportion of 1044 males to 1000 fe- > males. , The death rate for infants under ■ cue year was equal to 66 per 1000. L this being the lowest rate recorded in any second quarter. The number of persons married in . the first quarter of 1923 in England , and Wales was 106,562 a decrease of 46.198 from the number in the preceding quarter, and an increase of 5414 over that in the corresponding quarter of 1922.