MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT.
SANITATION.
CALCUTTA, THE 9TH JULY 1912.
RESOLUTION—No. 1428 San.
READ—
The Report of the Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal, for the year 1911.
Read also—
The Annual Statistical Returns and short notes on Vaccination in
Bengal for the year 1911-12.
Major W. W. Clemesha, I.M.S., was in charge of the Department for the
whole of the year under review.
2. Climatic conditions.—During the months of January and February the
rainfall was below the average, but in March and April it was general over the
whole province. The monsoon broke on the 11th June, with heavy rains.
The depression soon disappeared only to form again a few days later, heavy
falls of rain being the result. In July and August the rainfall was most
erratic, and, although it again became general in September and October, the
monsoon rainfall was deficient everywhere except in Bihar, the deficiency this
year again being most marked in Chota Nagpur.
3. Births and deaths.—The ratios have been calculated on the figures of
the census of 1911. In most cases this had the effect of lowering them in
comparison with the ratios given for the year 1910, which were calculated on
the figures of 1901. It is clear that, so long as calculations are made on the
figures of any census, the ratios of the succeeding decennial period, must, in
cases where the population is gradually increasing, tend to be increasingly
higher than the actual figures warrant. The number of births registered
during the year under report was 2,099,572 as compared with 2,007,222 ;
that is to say, 40'01 against 38.25 per mille. As was anticipated in 1910,
this is due to a decrease in the general price of food-grains. The number of
deaths increased from 1,672,640 to 1,715,419, the cause being a rise in the
mortality from plague and fever. Patna and Tirhut Divisions show the
biggest birth and death-rates. The exceptionally high death-rate in Patna
was due to the prevalence of plague, the death-rate from which was
12.46 per mille.
4. Verification of vital statistics.—The Khulna District is again the worst
offender; 7.65 per cent. of the births and 4.53 per cent, of the deaths
enquired into in this district were found to have been unreported. The
attention of the Commissioner concerned, will be called to the failure in this
district to attain even that very moderate standard of accuracy which is
reached by other districts.
The fluctuations in the figures in various districts still continue to show
the same extraordinary variations to which attention was drawn last year.
In 11 districts out of 33, the recorded birth-rate for the current year varied
from the mean birth-rate for the last 5 years by about 15 per cent., while in
27 towns out of 131, the corresponding variation in the death-rate was more
than 25 per cent. In towns, the total population on which the ratios are
calculated is, of course, smaller, but in most of such areas registration is com-
pulsory, and the figures should, therefore, be more accurate. In some cases
variations are satisfactorily explained by the prevalence or absence of cholera,
plague or other epidemics, but the inevitable conclusion is that vital
statistics, as at present recorded, are not sufficiently accurate to admit of
any wide generalization being made. The question of the improvement of
statistics in compulsory areas is at present under the consideration of
Government.