The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-09-30
1T is HARD TO DIE
| IN new JERSEY
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Shows That the Death
Rate Has Decreased.
BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES
FIGURES SHOW GREAT CHANG
Es IN TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
WHAT GOVERNS MARRIAGE.


The last annual report Of the State
Bureau of Vital Statistics contains some
tables of the births. marriages and
deaths in this State covering a period
of twenty-five years, and permits some
interesting comparisons to be made Of
the relations between marriages. deaths
and births. For instance. it is shown
that while the number of bilshs has in
creased in twenty-five years from 23,-
116 to 81. 242, the rate per thousand Las
decreased from 22.e5 10 1871. w4ie
the population Of the ssate has increased
in each year during the past quarter OF
a century the figures show that ii IS
largely due 50 immigration. From ~
to 1893, for instance, the estimated IN
crease in population was 1891 The
births were 1922 The deaths S12so.
showing that ont Of the IS ,9o4 increase
III population only 1922 is due 70 na-
tural increase. In other words althonsh
the population of New Jersey in the Iias4
qtqaiter of a century has increased ue4.r'y
100000. the excess of births Svsr
deaths during the same period has been
only 46,197. and the remainder due. to
immigration.
In 1879 the number of births reported
out of a population of 1.020.5s4 WIS
29.116 or 22.65 per thousand. In 1903
the population has increased to 2.o16,-
797, the number of births to 81, ,242. but
the rate per thousand had decreased to
1s.47. In the Intervening years the per
cent. has never reached the rate Of 1879.
and in 1899 il went down to 1884 per
thousand. The tendency has been down
ward; occasionally there was a slight ad-
vance Of a point or two. but in 1903 the
birth rate per thousand was AS lower
than in 1879
The same report shows that this is not
due to decrease in the number of mar
riages. The marriages have steadily in
creased from 1906 in 1879 to 1852 in.
1903. From 1887 to 1897 the increase is
very heavy. but it was largely due to the
unrestricted authority In the marriage
law, which permitted non-residents to
seek this State, where the ceremony was
performed without license. Since 1888
licenses have been required in the cases
of non-residents. and this has reduced the
number of marriages to its normal level.
but, eliminating the nonresident factor.
the figures show large increase in mar
riages and the decrease in births.
In 1879, out of each thousand popula-.
ton, there We're 1921 persons married.
The rate increased steadily. aud in 1888
it reached 1881. IN 1898. upon the pas
sage of the marriage license law. it drop
ped to 14.59 ard then constantly in
creased until 1908, when the record
shows that there were 5.44 more persons.
married per thousand than in 1879,
| William Henry Buckle, in his history
Of civilization in England claims that
the marriage rate is largely governed by
the condition of the country and the
prices of food products, and that in times
of prosperity the rate will be higher than
in hard times. The tables published by
the State bureau do not seem to carry out
his theory. as the increase in the number
of marriages. and also the Increase in the.
rate per thousand has been constant dur
ing the past quarter of century. rot
withstanding the fact that the price of
food product has varied and increased
very much during that period. Buckle
drew his deductions nearly half a century
ago. and perhaps new factors are now at
work, but the fact is that since 1879 mar
riage has been on the increase in New
jersey. and the number of persons mar
ried per thousand population has increas-
ed nearly 80 per cent.
The comparative statement of the
! deaths and death rate duriag the same
nar;od shows 1-er1- mo ylros3 7erreeSe r.,