Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-03-13
MORRIS & GREGG,
BRATTLEBORO, VT.
PecuIiarities of Cities.


The annual report of the National bu-
! reau of labor, says the Chicago Inter
! Ocean, gives many interesting details
| about the l3l American cities having pop
ulations of 10000 or more. Some of the
| Facts disclosed are. to say the least, rath-
/ er unexpected.
New York is, of course, the largest in
| population. What is not well known
is that New York with 2O9,21S acres, is
/ also largest in area. Chicago, in spite
of all the Jests about farms within its
! limits, has no greater area than New Or
leans. Butte, Mont, has the smallest
area, ana would appear to be- as a whole,
| the most densely populated, having 49,
600 people on 1850 acres
New Haven. Conn, has the lowest tax
rate per $1,000 valuation-$l2. 75--against
$500 in Peoria, ILL.,. which has the high
est rate Boston's wealth assessed for
taxation is the highest per capita
$20J9.32-and Joliet's is the lowest-Sll9 Al.
Methods of assessment are, however. so
different that these figures evidently
give no real basis Of comparison as to
wealth and cost of government.
Boston spends most on police. jails. re-
ormatories etc.-S5.03 per capta-and
Allentown, Pa, least--36 cents per CAPT
Ia. Birmingham, Ala, has. however.
the greatest proportion Of inhabitants
who require or receive the attentions Of
| the police. with - arrests in each 1000
population. York Pa. stands lowest in
rate of arrests-1O in 1000.
Judged by the arrest rate, York. Pa.
Reading. Pa, Fort Wayne, Ind; Mil
waukee, Wis; quincy. III; and Grand
Rapids, Mich, are tho most orderly
cities in the country. Birmingham,
Ala, Atlanta. Ga. Butte Mont; Nor
folk, Va; and Mobile. Ala, are the most
disorderly.
Birmingham, Ala, has the highest
IA Tri.. on raj to "a hut No
Keesport. Pa. has the highest divorce
rate-4.Si per 1000. Charleston, S. c., of
course, has no divorces, the law of the
state not granting them. But Somer-
vile, Mass, although the divorce laws
of that State are reasonably liberal also
had none this year Somerville, there
tore. appears To have been the banner
city this year for connubial felicity.
Those who are wont to regard New
England as declining in human produc-
tivity may be surprised to learn that one
Connecticut and four Massachusetts
cities led the birth procession this year
These cities and their birth rates were:
Fan River, $751;; New Bedford 3L35;
Holy oke, $3.50; Fitchburg 303S and
Cambridge Ell At the tail Of this
procession We're Troy, y. y. SIS; Topeka
Kan, S.43; Richmond Va, 80; Toledo
O., 642. and St. Joseph, Mo. 80
But If St Joseph's birth rate is lowest
so is her death rate, being only 6.49
against 3Gd in Charleston. which is, on
this showing, the unhealthest city in
the country. In fact, the five cities haV-
ing the highest death rates are all south
of the Ohio river. The other four are
Savannah Ga, BIS Mobile. Ala, 1897;
Covington, Ky, 2i.o9, and Birmingham.
Ala. 2t.J9
Judged by the death rate. the region
extending from Northwestern Missouri
M the Platte Valley would appear to
be the healthiest in the country-at
least Tor city dwellers. Three Of the
five cities with lowest death rates are
in this region. They are. besides St.
Joseph, Omaha, with a rate of 9.4l, and
Lincoln, Neb., with a rate of 955. The
other two are Canton, o., SIS and Seat
tie Wash. 9.73.
Persons who have a faculty of meeting
with accidents should move to Troy, n.
y; Salem, Mass: Fall River, Mass;
Augusta, Ga; New Bedford, Mass, or
Somervlle. Mass. In these cities the
rate Of deaths by accident varied from
2.53 down to 1.63 per 1000 Troy being
lowest But they should avoid the two
Superiors, in Wisconsin, Butte, Birm-
ingham and McKeesport, which led in
fatal accidents with rates of lbs to 1873.