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Dependency, orphanhood and fertility: From the registrar-general's census report
1925.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
T h e p r e s e n t revision of F o r m 306M occupies four foolscap p a g e s in lieu of the two p a g e s of the 1921 issue, b u t a close c o m p a r i s o n shows that the l e n g t h e n i n g is a p p a r e n t rather than real and in fact the new edition is m o r e conveniently a r r a n g e d t h a n the old one. It seems a g r e a t pity t h a t m e a n s could not have been found still f u r t h e r to shorten the form. T h e Circular states, however, t h a t the B o a r d do not consider t h a t it is just to the child that a decision should be t a k e n on any less e x h a u s t i v e e x a m i n a t i o n . Much of the information m a y be collected by other officers t h a n the c e r t i f y i n g officer, alternative f o r m s will be accepted and f u r t h e r it is not s u g g e s t e d t h a t every question on the form need be a n s w e r e d in every case. A caution is given that there are cases which can only legally be notified by the E d u c a t i o n C o m m i t t e e to the Mental Deficiency C o m m i t t e e after reference to the Board. It is n e c e s s a r y to e m p h a s i s e this point as i r r e g u l a r i t i e s in this respect on the p a r t of Local A u t h o r i t i e s have been b r o u g h t to light. The Board also lays it down that, in their opinion, only in the very r a r e s t c i r c u m s t a n c e s would it be r i g h t to certify a child as a moral imbecile. O t h e r opinions will no doubt be held on this point.
DEPENDENCY, ORPHANHOOD AND FERTILITY : F r o m
the R e g i s t r a r - G e n e r a l ' s Census Report. London : H . M . S t a t i o n e r y Office. (Price 30s.) This further Census R e p o r t consists of some of tables. 230 p a g e s out of the total are concerned with the " dependency " statistics, viz., p a r t i c u l a r s of the numbers and sizes, etc., of families of children under sixteen y e a r s of age. These statistics disting u i s h between the families of m a r r i e d men, w i d o w e r s and w i d o w s ; and the several tables show the n u m b e r s of families under each head, classified by the a g e of the parent, the size of the family and the a g e of the y o u n g e s t child. T h e y show also the total children at each a g e with distinction of the occupations of the f a t h e r s and in some c a s e s of g e o g r a p h i c a l r e g i o n s and countries. The n u m b e r of families of m a r r i e d men dealt with is nearly 7.} millions, of widowers, over 600,000 and of widows, over 1½ millions. T h e a v e r a g e n u m b e r of children per family is shown for p a r e n t s at each y e a r of age. 252 p a g e s
~85
The o r p h a n h o o d tables occupy 10 p a g e s and show for each y e a r of a g e up to 15 the n u m b e r of children w h o have lost f a t h e r , m o t h e r or b o t h parents. This information is shown for the country as a whole and for certain l a r g e geog r a p h i c a l areas, while similar information with less detail as to a g e is given for each county. Tables r e l a t i n g to fertility, t h a t is, the probability of a child b e i n g born within a year, occupy 12 p a g e s and are set out for m a r r i e d men and m a r r i e d women s e p a r a t e l y in relation to the a g e of the p a r e n t and the size of the e x i s t i n g family, while less detailed i n f o r m a t i o n is g i v e n in respect to each county and to men in certain g r o u p s of occupation. T h e volume also contains tables s h o w i n g the n u m b e r s of m a r r i e d couples of v a r i o u s a g e s , while the n a t u r e of the census inquiry and certain considerations affecting the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the results are dealt with in a s h o r t preface. F r o m these tables e m e r g e s t h e i n t e r e s t i n g fact t h a t in respect of the y o u n g e s t h u s b a n d s or wives it is nearly an even chance t h a t a child will be born in any y e a r but t h a t this chance v e r y rapidly diminishes as the p a r e n t s g e t older. A s o m e w h a t curious f e a t u r e exhibited by the t a b l e s is t h a t the l a r g e r the family the g r e a t e r is thi~ chance that a f u r t h e r child will be a d d e d to it. Of the 7-} million families of m a r r i e d men and m a r r i e d women of all a g e s , a b o u t 43% or nearly 3¼ millions contained, a c c o r d i n g to the returns, no children at all under 16 y e a r s of a g e ; in 23% t h e r e was one child only, in 15% t h e r e were two children, while families of 3 or m o r e children under 16 comprised only 19% of all families. The a v e r a g e n u m b e r of " d e p e n d e n t " chiidren per m a r r i e d man or per m a r r i e d w o m a n w a s 1"27 in the a g g r e g a t e ; the a v e r a g e varies, however, with the age of the parent, b e g i n n i n g at zero with the v e r y y o u n g e s t h u s b a n d and r i s i n g steadily and prog r e s s i v e l y to a m a x i m u n l of 2"18 children in the case of married men of 39-40. This a g e would a p p e a r to indicate the period of g r e a t e s t strain in respect of dependents, for t h e r e a f t e r , t h r o u g h m o r t a l i t y or t h r o u g h the children p a s s i n g out of the dependency period, the a v e r a g e n u m b e r of dependent children d e c r e a s e s steadily with the a g e i n g of the parents. In r e g a r d to occupational distinction, miners are shown to have the l a r g e s t f a m i l i e s - - a b o u t 43% above the a v e r a g e - - f o l l o w e d by m a k e r s of coke, lime and c e m e n t ; at the o t h e r e x t r e m e come the professional w o r k e r s , w h o s e families are 29% blow a v e r a g e , clerical w o r k e r s g e n e r a l l y and those e n g a g e d in the textile t r a d e s .
PUBLIC HEALTH.
T h e p r e s e n t revision of F o r m 306M occupies four foolscap p a g e s in lieu of the two p a g e s of the 1921 issue, b u t a close c o m p a r i s o n shows that the l e n g t h e n i n g is a p p a r e n t rather than real and in fact the new edition is m o r e conveniently a r r a n g e d t h a n the old one. It seems a g r e a t pity t h a t m e a n s could not have been found still f u r t h e r to shorten the form. T h e Circular states, however, t h a t the B o a r d do not consider t h a t it is just to the child that a decision should be t a k e n on any less e x h a u s t i v e e x a m i n a t i o n . Much of the information m a y be collected by other officers t h a n the c e r t i f y i n g officer, alternative f o r m s will be accepted and f u r t h e r it is not s u g g e s t e d t h a t every question on the form need be a n s w e r e d in every case. A caution is given that there are cases which can only legally be notified by the E d u c a t i o n C o m m i t t e e to the Mental Deficiency C o m m i t t e e after reference to the Board. It is n e c e s s a r y to e m p h a s i s e this point as i r r e g u l a r i t i e s in this respect on the p a r t of Local A u t h o r i t i e s have been b r o u g h t to light. The Board also lays it down that, in their opinion, only in the very r a r e s t c i r c u m s t a n c e s would it be r i g h t to certify a child as a moral imbecile. O t h e r opinions will no doubt be held on this point.
DEPENDENCY, ORPHANHOOD AND FERTILITY : F r o m
the R e g i s t r a r - G e n e r a l ' s Census Report. London : H . M . S t a t i o n e r y Office. (Price 30s.) This further Census R e p o r t consists of some of tables. 230 p a g e s out of the total are concerned with the " dependency " statistics, viz., p a r t i c u l a r s of the numbers and sizes, etc., of families of children under sixteen y e a r s of age. These statistics disting u i s h between the families of m a r r i e d men, w i d o w e r s and w i d o w s ; and the several tables show the n u m b e r s of families under each head, classified by the a g e of the parent, the size of the family and the a g e of the y o u n g e s t child. T h e y show also the total children at each a g e with distinction of the occupations of the f a t h e r s and in some c a s e s of g e o g r a p h i c a l r e g i o n s and countries. The n u m b e r of families of m a r r i e d men dealt with is nearly 7.} millions, of widowers, over 600,000 and of widows, over 1½ millions. T h e a v e r a g e n u m b e r of children per family is shown for p a r e n t s at each y e a r of age. 252 p a g e s
~85
The o r p h a n h o o d tables occupy 10 p a g e s and show for each y e a r of a g e up to 15 the n u m b e r of children w h o have lost f a t h e r , m o t h e r or b o t h parents. This information is shown for the country as a whole and for certain l a r g e geog r a p h i c a l areas, while similar information with less detail as to a g e is given for each county. Tables r e l a t i n g to fertility, t h a t is, the probability of a child b e i n g born within a year, occupy 12 p a g e s and are set out for m a r r i e d men and m a r r i e d women s e p a r a t e l y in relation to the a g e of the p a r e n t and the size of the e x i s t i n g family, while less detailed i n f o r m a t i o n is g i v e n in respect to each county and to men in certain g r o u p s of occupation. T h e volume also contains tables s h o w i n g the n u m b e r s of m a r r i e d couples of v a r i o u s a g e s , while the n a t u r e of the census inquiry and certain considerations affecting the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the results are dealt with in a s h o r t preface. F r o m these tables e m e r g e s t h e i n t e r e s t i n g fact t h a t in respect of the y o u n g e s t h u s b a n d s or wives it is nearly an even chance t h a t a child will be born in any y e a r but t h a t this chance v e r y rapidly diminishes as the p a r e n t s g e t older. A s o m e w h a t curious f e a t u r e exhibited by the t a b l e s is t h a t the l a r g e r the family the g r e a t e r is thi~ chance that a f u r t h e r child will be a d d e d to it. Of the 7-} million families of m a r r i e d men and m a r r i e d women of all a g e s , a b o u t 43% or nearly 3¼ millions contained, a c c o r d i n g to the returns, no children at all under 16 y e a r s of a g e ; in 23% t h e r e was one child only, in 15% t h e r e were two children, while families of 3 or m o r e children under 16 comprised only 19% of all families. The a v e r a g e n u m b e r of " d e p e n d e n t " chiidren per m a r r i e d man or per m a r r i e d w o m a n w a s 1"27 in the a g g r e g a t e ; the a v e r a g e varies, however, with the age of the parent, b e g i n n i n g at zero with the v e r y y o u n g e s t h u s b a n d and r i s i n g steadily and prog r e s s i v e l y to a m a x i m u n l of 2"18 children in the case of married men of 39-40. This a g e would a p p e a r to indicate the period of g r e a t e s t strain in respect of dependents, for t h e r e a f t e r , t h r o u g h m o r t a l i t y or t h r o u g h the children p a s s i n g out of the dependency period, the a v e r a g e n u m b e r of dependent children d e c r e a s e s steadily with the a g e i n g of the parents. In r e g a r d to occupational distinction, miners are shown to have the l a r g e s t f a m i l i e s - - a b o u t 43% above the a v e r a g e - - f o l l o w e d by m a k e r s of coke, lime and c e m e n t ; at the o t h e r e x t r e m e come the professional w o r k e r s , w h o s e families are 29% blow a v e r a g e , clerical w o r k e r s g e n e r a l l y and those e n g a g e d in the textile t r a d e s .