New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-29
DEA TIL RATE MADE TOO HIGH.
HEALTH BOARD APPARENTLY UNDER
ESTIMATES ANNUAL INCREASE
OF POPULATION.

OF POPULATION.
When Emerson wrote Of the perdition Of being
safe when for the truth ought to die. he had
doubtless no thought OF making precedent for a
demand upon the New-York Board of Health to
swell the city death rate by taking it's quetus
Not to go so far. it is nevertheless exceedingly
moving to those who have the good name of the city
Iessness kill them off at more rapid rate than
fate itself.
In the weekly report of the Department of Health
will be found regularly table giving the popula-
tion of the five boroughs. the number of deaths
since January to date. and the current death rate
for the year, contrasted with the death rate
for the year before The figures not tentative
nor apologetic. They apparently hard and fast
symbols of fact. To quote from a recent report at
hand the population of the city is 3ss2. SOL the
number of deaths LIB and the death rate for the
current incomplete 17i2. 2os2 for 1s1l- Some
thing like seventeen and onehalf persons have died
out of every thousand thus far the current year.
But have they? Another glance at the table Is apt
to raise serious doubts
CENSUS BASIS FOR DEATH RATE.
The population is tabulated on the basis of the
United States of 1900 with an estimated in
crease to the middle of the year 1902" AS the
census figures taken in May and June this gives
a period of fully twenty-four months upon which
the increase is estimated. The population of the
Borough of Manhattan by the census of 1900 was
the middle of the 1902 is 1851 increase of
1888 for two years 1858 as a yearly average
All accessible indications. in the absence of any
yearly of the borough, show that this esti-
mate is far below the mark OF course the deaths
occurring in the of a year a matter OF
legal record and not subject to loose estimate.
Given the exact number Of deaths and under
estimated increase in population It is evident that
the death obtained therefrom will altogether
too large The sweet reasonabIeness of David
rly the Of doo'a
having due amount of fees may apply to city's
death rate
1t appears that the practice of the department IN
finding the increase is to deduct the number OF
deaths for the year from the number of births
Even if it true that all the new arrivals came
by way of infancy. the results obtained in this
fashion would be incomplete. because while deaths
are always registered births not. 1t is now
six years since the last attempt to arouse physi-
clans to compliance with the law in reporting
births Particularly negligent are the physicians
and midwives employed in the poorer districts
precisely where births most numerous
VALUE OF SCHOOL STATISTICS
A more accurate estimate of the increase in chill
dren may be had by the school statistics In the
long run. under system of compulsory education
the public school lists, while net an exhaustive
count of the city's young, form a variable taDie
increasing or decreasing III proportion the total
According to the figures OF the Department %
Education the number of schoo! children reslstereu
in the Borough of Manhattan this year is -S''+'a
an increase over 1901 of 21,037 The Borough Oh
Brooklyn has little more than two-th1rds OF TINS
number, with corresponding increase OIL if''o'.
The total for the five boroughs shows an increase Oh
AZ e6s Children who properly came unoer tne eaie
of the Department Of Education, but hao 10 oe re-
fused admission, numbered Sill Part time puph9
numbered IS 12 an increase over the previous year
r17--7 This gives total increase of school chill
dren in full standing and part time OF ooi0 over
last wear for the five boroushs. or at the rate OIL
the school lists proper probably WITHIN d It" nun
dreds of 3Os72 for the Borough of Manhattan IN
I,,av of these hgures alone. the Health Depart
p,ents estimated increase of the entire population
of the borough children and adults. of 22Os' mas a
rather shrunken and depleted look
IMMIGRATION NOT COUNTED.
Of the citizens who made and not DOTH
statistics are accessible only for lmmlsra'ion-
have no walls and gates and bookkeepers std'ioi
+hare to make note of every one entering Ihat
,,a,y neone come from the country districts 10
the city is commonplace. but they leave no I'M
mediate record. The newcomers ABROAD are oIilS
required to give the State Of their @ it
Of the number VINO put down LOT NsT sisra
~ not too much to say. in the opinion OF INN 5
ton officials that Gnena here for considerable
time For the fiscal year ended 9d sgnS and
in 1902 1880 an increase for one year bV OF ra
One-half of this number lSSS Is Dnnuiatfon
yeaTIy due to immigration This Is WITHIN 1oo e e
the Department of Healths estiiia'e u
iroLl an 90 bTsiness men who make their daily
bread by guessing the yearly iiS.rs They de
49, 1no more people to fiji new houses ana ouILu
pe re- closey to their expectations 10 % II
IaIne[ to- lose money and become land poor; In
1900 aboq5 r6 co. at ganst Tor boEough
last wear According TO Teal eSttdirea+a o. the
mber of tenants each modern fafnoSse e on
nun. hoea coniens is fifty. II or tne POI Gt
huiIt in 100 in the borougns 4u sr % 0S0 IT
Manhattan provision was made nere b e something
it, Sn6 Of the est were put up IN MaILa i 1a0
The 0S9 built in 1901 the majority n,,r,hsr dIIe
Sfta1 This was an unusually nlsh nun nuiil ~ ~
hattah feart r. rush plans through before the ne"
tenament house law became efleculVe
WHAT REAL ESTATE FIGURES SHOW
j., ~, abnormal year of building no real
pu' - r,,ts nm houses without a sound ex-
notation that new people are arri'ins ~ -,
thom In hathouses. then, the leai ~
allow for about twenty thousaHo III. -, 1910
lation yearly In the large ana iihpoSlHe -.
80 or;o,s tvnes that are being raised III t L catS
OF that thirty thousand can pc houseu,
II - t 49,, On the West Side has twenty-hNe
hundred rooms above ground II ncrease in popU-
that builders calculate the like 90 600 or
iaton in Manhattan at son H - 500 Rut thew
5S 0oo Tba BOARD of Health says LOSE ars
are merely making tables anu '
making fortunes. ,oosa yearly Of thirty thou
sand school children and eighteen tiou9a to+aT IN
safe aud provision made for housLiS a 800 i.
crease ci t5,d almost seem that the sta
business; II tyent ~ Health got his hsures from
| his inner CONSCIOUSNESS
puruett's Vanilla Extract - 49,
- Duf tSs hest is none TOO good for your 1000
| ana srink Insist having Burnett :
,. and safest Of Blood Purifiers is 5ayns''