The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-16
Kansas Healthy State, Says
w. j. V. Deacon in Talk.
Points Out "Vital Statistics" to
Rotary Club Today.
To HAVE REAL HEADQUARTERS
Club to Take Over Large Rooms
i'm EIkS' Building.
"ROtary Talk" by Fred ]. Funk
D. @. COe as Chairman.

Kansas has a lower death rate than
any state in the Union, according to
w. J. V. Deacon, state registrar of the
central division of vital statistics, who
spoke before the Rotary club this noon
az the Commercial club. Mr.. Deacon
told the members of the club many
interesting facts about vital statistics
Fred ]. Funk, of the Aetna Build
ing and Loan association, made an
excellent talk on Rotary and Ed NJ.
Moore of the Hutchinson Printing
company. who was Il guest, said few
words.
The members voted to lease the
room in the basement of the Elks
building for permanent quarters.
Marion Palmer OF the Firestone Tire
company was announced as new
member The meeting today was ably
conducted by d. O. Coe, as chairman
Mr.. Deacon said in part:
MIR. Deacon's Address.
I assume the members of the club
are not interested in the various
mathematical formulate by which are
determined the various estimates of
population, death rates. birth rates.
the expectation of life. vie probable
etc. but that what you are interested
in ire the reasons why the state main
taiHs a depart nent which records the
vital events in the life of all of its citi-
zens. and which department does not
cost the tax payers Of Kansas a single
penny for its maintenance.
This department has to do with the
recording of the birth, marriage and
death of its citizens-the three most
vital events in their lives. There are
three reasons for this: One to keep
track of the movement of population,
as the natural increase of the popula-
tion is the number of births within
the community less the number Of
deaths In this live western country,
however we do not depend upon the
natural increase of population for our
existence. but continually invite immi-
grafton, and to do so must be able to
tell in al intelligent way of those ele-
ments which may prove attractive to
prospective settlers.
a man who is ,!esirous of changing
his location naturally looks to the
healthfulness of any community be-
fore he decides to locate there In
order that we may tell him Intelligent
" we must know the number of
deaths That occur and the causes of
those deaths Real estate values are
more dependent upon the healthfu1-
ness of 4 community than is generally
credited
The Marriage Record.
IA record scf marriage is very essen
tia; for mary purposes. When a mar
rage is performed TWO things are ac-
compIished+first, a legal contract. and
second a new social status-a family
Is created, and at the time of the per
Torrance of this marriage we ask
tfaI the groom pay q lee OF 0U cents
which not only provides for the proper
reeistratiO of his maria ge, but of the
registra ton of the births of those chill
dren who would naturally come to
that marriage. and the registration of
the death of himself and his wife
when they die.
A second great important reason,
and the one that is most commonly
thought of in this connection for the
registration of deaths is, what may be
termed, the sanitary reason-namely,
we mus know where the people die
and the causes of their death in order
that we may take such sanitary pre-
cautions as are necessary to prevent
the spread of disease through the