Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-06-23
STATISTICS.
Registrar Issues His Re-
port for Year 1902.
Number of Births Greatly in
Excess of the Deaths.
A Divorce was Granted for Every
Seven Marriages Soiemnized-What
Caused Them-Diseases which
Caused the Deaths in the State.

DR.. A. G. Young, registrar OF Vltai
statistics, has just issued his report
for the year 1902. AS in the case OF
many other reports issued by the
State and national departments, there
is Il great deal more interesting 1n1or-
nation contained in the ZIG pages
which the book makes, than a super
fetal glance through it would indicate.
The matter which it contains deals
with the most interesting problems OF
the day in Maine, for the subject mae-
ters handled are, births, deaths, d.
vorces and marriages. Births and
marriages have a direct bearing upon
the constant topic of race suicide,
which is being talked Of in all parts OF
the country at this time. Deaths.
while not so closely allied with that
subject as the other two, have more or
less bearing upon it. Therefore 1t is OF
interest to the people of Maine TO know
what proportion of births and mar
iages there is to the population of the
State and also the ratio of deaths.
But DR.. Young's report does not stop
with stating that. 1t goes futher and
gives many other interesting details
connected with each subject, which
should be read by all people of the
State who are at all interested i'll
knowing about the present conditions
in Maine In dealing with the deaths
of the State there are many tables
showing deaths by counties and
causes. The figures go back for
period of ten years, SO that one can
readily make comparisons so as to see
if progress has been made in fighting
disease or how different diseases have
effected Maine people in that time.
In the year 1902, 15.166 births were
registered 10 the State, gain of 800
over the preceding year, of this num-
Der 65S We're still births. This Is a
birth rate of 20.S9 for each 1000 of popu-
Iation. The number of male children
reported was 7416 ana the number of
female children 1908. In 90 cases the
sex of the child was not reported. The
birth rate in the cities was 21.64 per
1000. or nearly one per cent. greater
than for the State. ArOostOok main
tained it's place at the head for birth
rate, az it has since the statistics have
been kept. The rate for that county
for the year was 35.12. AS in the past
Waldo had the lowest rate of any OF
the counties, it being but 11.66. or
the 16 counties six, Aroostook, Frank
lin. oxford, Piscataquis, Washington
and York, had a birth rate which was
larger than that of the whole State.
The parents of 1920 per cent. of the
births were native, OF f7.40 foreign and
of 1.24 per cent. the parentage was not
reported. Waldo county had the larg-
est percentage of native parents, 95.5'
per cent, while AndrOscoggin had the
lowest, 3S40. The largest percentage of
foreign born parents was in Biddeford.
&c "a, and Lewiston, 65.45. the lowest in
Ellsworth, 4.29 and Belfast, 6.3S.
March has the greatest number Of
births to its credit of any of the
months, 140l, and November the SMALL
est. 1904. The three consecutive
months having the largest number of
births were March, April and May, the
combined number being 1884.
During the year 1872 twin-births oc-
Cured; in &c instances the twins were
both boys; in 81, both girls: in SO, Il
boy and a girl. In SO cases the parent
age was American: in 81, foreign; in "a
instances the parentage was mixed;
and in =, it was not stated. OF the 364
children, 327 We're born alive, and 81
were still-born. Aroostook county is
credited with the largest number of
twin births, 33, and Waldo and oxford
with the smallest number, each hav-
ing two. Kennebec had II, Sagadahoc
four, and Somerset six.
The following table shows births in
Kennehec county in 1902: