The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-09-21
VERMONT DEATH
RATE INCREASED
In 1915 the Deaths Were 9,S Per Cent
Less Than in the Year 1901.


A preliminary statement just made
public BY Director Sam l.. Rogers, OF the
bureau OF the census, department Of com
merce and prepared under the super.
vision Of Mr. Richard G. lappln, chief
statistieian Tor vital statistics, shows u
death rate Of l3.5-t the lowest ON record
per 900 estimated population OF the
registration area OF the United States in
1918. This rate was based on a0a,l 55
deaths returned from 20 states lin one of
which. North Carolina, only munieipali-
ties of | 900 population and over In 1910
were included, the District OF Columbia
and Al cities in registration states,
the total population of this area in 1915
being estimated at d7,337 600, OF GIL
ner cent of the total estimated popula-
ton of the United States.
There is widespread and increasing
interest throughout the country in re-
,pect to vital statistics. The states OF
North and South Carolina, which recent
ly enacted the model law" for the reg
istration Of births and deaths. were ad-
mitted To the death registration area for
1916, increasing the estimated population
of the area TO 70.2 per cent of the total
for the United States in that year.
Lowering of Death Rate During Decade.
The death rate for 1915, 1875 per 1000
population, is the lowest ever recorded,
the most favorable year prior TO 1918
having been 1914, for which the rate was
1875. II is markedly lower than the aver
age rate for the iive-year period 1901 to
1905, which was 1862. The decrease thus
amounts To 1851 per cent, or almost ex-
aetly one sixth, during little more than
a decade. When due allowance i made
for the addition of many new states to
the registration area between 1905 and
1915, and the comparison is confined To
the group of registration states as con.
stituted during the period 1901 -05-the
present population OF which is about one
fourth OF the total OF the country-there
is still shown a very considerable de-
crease, from 1919 to 1913 per GOO popula-
ton, or l0.l per cent. This decrease, on
the basis OF the present population.
would amount to 1886 deaths. On the
assumption that a corresponding redue.
ton has taken place throughout the en-,
tire country. this would indicate a saw
ing of approximately 10000 lives IN
1915 for the United States as whole.
The annual report for 1915, TO be is
sued later, will state that changes in the
age and sex constitution OF the popula-
ton must be considered before the exact
nature and extent of the lower general
mortality can be understood. Ii Is GER
tain, however, that the great progress
made during recent years in the sciences
OF medicine and sanitation, together with
the widespread awakening of the people
throughout the United States to the sup
port OF public health authorities, has re-
suited in the saving annually Of scores OF
thousands Of lives that would have been
lost under the conditions prevailing only
few years ago.
Death Rates for States and Cities.
The following table gives the death
rates for the past three years separately
and for the consecutive five. year periods
1901 1905 and 1906 1910 The areas To
which the figures relate are the registra'
ton states and the cities which had lO0,-
900 or more inhabitants in 1910. Sep
arate figures are given for the colored
population in states in which colored
persons constituted 10 per cent or more
of the total population in 1910 and IN
cities having 10000 or more colored IN
habitants in that year.
In the states for which death rates tor
l90l-l9l5 are given, the greatest proper
tional decrease between that period and
1915 is shown for Rhode Island, 100 per
cent. Next in order are New York, with
a decrease OF l4.6 per cent; New Jersey,
lab per cent; Massachusetts,, III per
cent; Vermont, 9.3 per cent; Connecti-
cut, 81 per cent; Indiana, 3S per cent;
New Hampshire, per cent; and Maine
! o per cent. Michigan alone showed a
slight increase, eight-tenths OF | per
cent.
Among the cities having 100000 or
more inhabitants in 1910 the tendency Is
toward a still greater reduction in NOR
tally. The following named cities
show. for 1915, decreases of 20 per cent
or more as compared with the fve-year
period 1901 1905: Newark, n. j., 800 per
cent; Atlanta, 2s.4 per cent; New York
City, PCS per cent; Los Angeles, 25 per
cent; Jersey City, 249 per cent; Pitts
burg $50 per cent; st. Louis. 22.9 per
cent; Denver. 227 per cent; Providence,
22.3 per cent; Paterson, 2l.9 per cent;
San Francisco, 2l.7 per cent; Fall River,
2l.7 per cent; Louisville, 2ll per cent;
and Nashville, 70 per cent.