The daily sentinel. [volume] (Grand Junction, Colo.) 1893-current, 1910-09-23
LOWEST DEATH RATE ON
RECORD DECLARES CENSUS
Only 5 Deaths Per 1000 Population in the
Census Bureaus Registration Area in 1909

~ aAsSbAAoANA aNEc-
Washington, Sept. 23.-The death
rate in the death registration cities
and states of the United States drop
ped to ) per thousand of provision
ally estimated population last year,
according to the forthcoming United
States census bureaus bulletin on
mortality statistics for 1909, which
has been submitted to Director Du-
rand by DR.. Greasy L. Wilbur, chief
| statistician for vital statistics.
In 1908 the death rate in the cen
sus bureaus registration area was
| ga per thousand and in the bu-
reau's annual report for that year,
/ issued last spring, it was stated that
| IL is evident an era of low mortality
has begun,
The death rate for 1909 is, the
bulletin states, lower than that for
any previous year of registration and
probably is the lowest that ever oc-
CURED in the history of the United
/ States.
1t is stated that the mortality was
distributed with more than ordinary
uniformity throughout the year 1909
and no epidemics of other than very
local extent were found to have oc-
Cured.
1t is a fact of much interest, the
bulletin states, as showing the gen.
eral prevalence in 1903 of extremely
favorable conditions for human life
that the death rate of England and
Wales for that year was 145 per
thousand, which was also the lowest
on record for that country, while the
rate of IA for the city of London was
even lower and demonstrates the fall
lacy of the belief that high death
rates are necessarily found in large
cities.
The total number of deaths return
ed from the registration area for
1903 was 732, 53S, an increase of
40,964 over the number, 691 ,574, re-
turned for 1908.
OF the total number in 1909. there
we're 39S, 597 deaths, or ga per cent,
among males. as compared with SAB
in 1908.
The largest number of deaths re-
turned for any month in 1903 was
| 70.099 for March. VIII the great
majority of the registration states
and cities it is the month having the
largest number of deaths. while June
is the month of lowest mortality.
The professionally estimated aggre-
gate population of the registration
are of the United States in 1903 is
4S,776,S93 or 55.9 per cent of the
| total estimated population of con-
tinental United States
The official death registration area
is composed of those states and cities
which require the registration of n
death before the issuance of burial
Permit and which have complied with
other requirements imposed by the
census bureau as conditions prece-
dent to inclusion in this area whose
death returns are annually collected,
tabulated, analysed and presented in
bulletin and report form by the cen
sus bureau. In 1909 the death regis
tration area included the following
| states:
California, Colorado. Connecticut,
Indiana. Maine, Maryland, Massa-
ohusetts. Michigan. New Hampshire,
| New Jersey. New York, Ohio, PEN
| nsylvania.- Rhode Island, South Da-
kota. Vermont. Washington and Wis
consin.
In addition to these. returns of
deaths were received from "a cities
in nonregistration states. in which the
registration under local ordinances is
considered satisfactory. The District
of Columbia, which is conterminous
with the city of Washington, is not
included in the list of separate regis
, tration cities. For most purposes il
is treated as a city. but in the table
showing groups of registration states
the District of Columbia is included
as state area