Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1908-03-15

i e bureau Oh the census hd.
just published its seventh annual
Report on Mortality Statistics. which
presents the figures for the calenda,
year 1906. together with compare
tive data for the year 1909 to 1906
fIclusiye
The Registration Area.
The statistics in this report dc
90 cover the entire country, but
are restricted to that portion OF
it termed Registration area" tha'
is, to states in which the laws re-
Curing the registration o. deaths
have been accepted as giving prac-
tically complete mortality returns
AND to those cities in nonreg;st-a-
tasion states in which satisfactory
returns are required by local au-
thorities. The registration area il
1906 cons listed Of Is registration
states, the District Of Columbia,
which is strictly urban in character,
and u registration cities IN non.
registration states. The IS regis
tration states were California. Col
orado, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine.
Maryland, Massachusetts,, Michigan,
New hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Dakota and Vermont. The
estimated population of he entire
registration area in 1906 was 40,-
Ss6,317, OR ASS per cent of the es-
timated population OF continental
United States. OF this number, &c.
99G.182 persons, or 3e.3 per cent OK
the total population. were in regis
tration states, and 7,9e9,535 per-
sons, Or g5 per cent were in regis
tration cities in nonregistraton
states.
Although the large proportion OF
the @Nal population included in the
registration area would seem to
give a fairly accurate basis for
know ledge of the vital statisti OF
the United States, Il large portion
Of tie country is very inadequately
represented None of the registra'
tion states in the south, and none
except Indiana. South Dakota, and
a part of Colorado, is in the great
Mississippi basin. The extensive
nonregistration sections are repre-
sented by only q few scattered cities.
It is gratifying to note, however, that
the vital statistics presented IN this
report are more representative tnan
those presented in the annual re.
ports that have preceded it, and thc
prospects are bright that in future
reports the statistics will BE- ever
more representative. Minnesota and
Wisconsin have recently passed laws
for the registration Of deaths which.
if effectively enforced, will entllle
those states to be included in the
registration area. 1t is greatly to
be desired that other states not YET
possessing satisfactory registration
should recognize the Importance OF
an accurate knowledge of the causes
If the deaths of their citizens, and
pass and enforce the necessary laws
for obtaining that Information.
The Bureau Of the Census is max
ing earnest efforts to increase the
number of registration states. IL
has carried a propaganda, in con
formity with the expressed desire
of Congress, "to the end that the
United States may attain complete
and uniform system of registration,
not only of deaths but also Of births
returns of the latter being entirely
lacking in these reports.
It is the unanimous Judgment Oh
the Census experts that with THESE
animal reports covering the mortal
itv of the registration area, 1t IS |
useless expense to continue to COT
1ect death returns for the rest OF
the population upon an enumerator
schedule at the census period. by
everv test that can be applied, the
enumerator's returns OF deaths are
too inaccurate to be worth "na'
thew cost. It is probable that they
will be henceforth discontinued
Sanitary officials in nonreglstratioi'
states should take immediate notice
~ this fact, and redouble their el-
fective registration laws.
General Death Rate.
The total numb Of deaths re-
ported for the registration area LOT
1906 was 65S,1O5. and the death
rate was 1871 per 1000 of popuia-