The Irish standard., 1910-08-20
SOME IRISH
VITAL STATISTICS
A Comparison With Other Periods
Shows Population to be
on Decrease.
More Than Two-thirds of the Mar
riages Are Between
Catholics.
The Recent Assizes Have Shown
That Crimes are Few
in Ireland.

\ comparison of the vital statistics
of Ireland for the past few years
the decrease Tie excess of births
over deaths in 1909 was o7,1S6, ac-
cordins to the registrar generals re-
port just issued, but as oS,676 people
emigrntcd during the year there was
an actual decrease in population of $50.
The marriages registered during the
year numbered o2.65O. representing a
rate of 5.lS per 1000 of the estimated
population. This rate is .O2 below that
for the previous year. but .O6 above
the average for ten year. lS99-190s.
OF the 1850 marriages registered
during last year, 16.O57 were between
Catholics. 3,427 We're celebrated ac-
Cording to the rites and ceremonies Of
the Church OF England 1895 were in
Presbyterian meeting houses. 462 iii
registered buildings belonging to vari-
Gus religious denominations. 39s by
were according to the usages of the
Society of Friends and 6 according to
the Jewish rites.
The marriages of bachelors with
spinsters constituted s9.5 per cent of
the total; those of widows and spins
ters were &c per cent The marriage
of bachelors and widows We're "a per
cent and those of widowers and Wid-
ows formed La per cent of the total
marriages.
The highest marriage rate for coun-
ty or county borough areas were 7.3
per 1000 of the population for the
County Borough of Dublin, and the
lowest was 3.4 per cent per 1000 for
the County Mayo.
Crimes Are Few.
Opening the commission Of assizes
for Cork City Lord Justice Cherry, in
his address to the grand jury, said
their duties on the occasion would be
extremely light That was a pleasure
he had repeated so frequently during
the present circuit that it was now
almost like a refrain They had only
one case to go before them, charge
Of breaking a plate glass window.
During the assizes which were COM
ing to a conclusion throughout Ire
land, in almost every county and city,
with only four or five exceptions, the
judges had been able to testify to the
orally and the absence of crime He
could not recollect in any period with
in his memory where reports had
been so uniformly favorable. He had
been informed 1t was in a great meas
ure due to the cause of temperance.
He supposed it was so in Cork also.
1t is satisfactory to find by the June
circular OF the Flax Supply association,
Belfast, that the Irish fax crop this
year has most promising appearance.
There is a fairly substantial increase
at last in the area under fax, and
it is significant that though the acres
age In Munster and Connaught is not
considerable the increase In those Prov
inces is relatively large. When Belfast
alone imports flax to the value Of
about million and a quarter annual
1y, an increase, however small, of the
area under flax in Ireland, must be
regarded as a satisfactory sign of im-
provement. Thirty years ago there
were $4,000 acres under fax in Uls-
ter alone. In Antrim, Derry and Down
the increase in fax sowing was com :
siderable this year.
In Armagh, Cavan, Monaghan, Done-
gal, Fermanagh and Tyrone. Mhile
there was decrease in some districts
there was an increase in others, SO
that on the whole, there is a larger
crop than last year in Ulster, and the
present condition of the fax indicates
that the yield will be considerable.
$50 he said was a polished gentleA
man, did he?"