East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-06-13
BIRTHS EXCEED DEATHS
BY LARGE PROPORTION
Infants Born in U. S. Num-
ber 1,353,792 in 1919;
Deaths 776,222.

WASHINGTON. d. G., June Ia
lin tho birth registration area of the
United States 1,S53,792 infants were
born alive in 1914. representing IA
birth rate of 2i.6 per 1000 of popu-
llation. The total number OF deaths In
the same area was 716,222. or AL per
900 The birth exceeded the deaths
by 7I.4 per cent For every state in
the registration area, for practically
all the cities. and for nearly all the
7 counties. the births exceeded the
deaths. in most cases by considerable
proportions. The mortality rate for
infants under year Of age averaged
eS.S per 1000 living births. The
foregoing among the facts brought out
by the Census Bureaus annual com
pilation of birth statistics.
The birth-registration area, estab-
'lished in 1915, has grown rapidly. 1t
comprised, in 1917, the six New En-
gland states Indiana. Kansas Ken
lucky, Maryland. Michigan. Minneso-
| ta, New York North Carolina, Ohio
Pennsylvania, Utah. Virginia. Wash
lington. Wisconsin and the District of
Columbia, and had an estimated popu-
lation of 55 600. 900 or about SO per
cent OF the estimated total population
of the United States in that year.
Comparison With 1916.
The birth rate for the entire birth
registration area fell below that for
1915 by two-tenths OF one per 900
population; but the death rate was less
by six -tenths of one per 1000 than in
1916. Thus the excess of the birth
rate over the death rate for 1917,
which amounted to 1915 per l.000, was
somewhat greater than the cores
ponding excess for 1916, l0.1 per 600
although 1t fell slightly below that for
1915. 1913 per 1000. If the birth and
death rates prevailing in any one of
these three years were to remain un-
changed. and II no migration were to
take place to or from the area to
which they relate. its population
would increase at the rate of slightly
more than per cent per annum. or
a little more than 10 per cent in "A de-
cade. This would be about half the
rate-21 per cent-by which the en-
tire population of the United States
increased between 1900 and 1919.
White and Colored.
OF the total number of births re-
ported, 1,2S0.2SS. or 24.5 per 1000.
were of white infants, and 73.5O4. or
25.S per 1000 were of colored infants.
The death rates for the two elements
of the population were 1871 and 22.5
per 1000 respectively.
Infant Mortality.
The infant mortality rate-that is.
the number of deaths of infants under
year OF age per 1000 born alive
throughout the birth-registration area
as a whole was s3.S in 1917. as against
in nd ~,
equivalent to saying that in 1915 and
1915. of every 10 infants born alive /
died before reaching the age of year.
where as in 1917 the corresponding
ratio was a trifle more than | in IL.
Among the 90 states these rates rang
ed from GA for Minnesota to 1879
for Maryland: and for the white popu-
lation separately the lowest and the
highest rates were 66.6 for Washing
ton and 1895 for New Hampshire.
The infant mortality rates vary
greatly for the two sexes and for the
variaious nationalities. The rate for
male infants in 1917. 1887 per 1000
living births. was nearly % per cent
greater than that for female Infants
which was only 1913. When the COM
parison is made on the basis of race or
nationality of mothers a minimum of
66.2 per 1000 births is shown for in
fants with others born in Denmark,
Norway. Sweden and a minimum of
1875 for infants with mothers born In
Poland, while for Negro children the
rate was 1886.
Plural Births.
The reports from the registration
area show the birth of 14394 pairs of
twins and los sets of triplets in 1911
in all, 29253 infants. or a little more
than per cent of the total number
born.
Number of Children per Family.
The reports for 1,241,722 of the
births occurring in 1917 contained in
format tion as to number of child in or
der of birth. OF these reports. 33S,
O42 were for the first child born to tho
mother, 264.044 for the second child,
191.52s for the third. 134,33 for the
fourth. and 95,93i for the fifth. In
the remaining 216,S46 cases or 17.5
per cent of the entire number for
which Information upon this point was
obtained the total number OF children
borne by the mother was or more; in
1874 cases ii was 10 or more: in L.
500 cases, IS or more: in 56 cases, 90
or more: and in ono case, that of a
colored woman. the birth OF twenty
fifth child was reported
The total number of children borne
by the mothers who gave birth to
these 1.241.722 infants in 1917. in
whose cases data were available as TO
previous births. was 4,G93.90S. The
reports for 1,194.62t Of the birth oc-
curing in 1917 contained Information
as to the entire number of children
borne by the mothers and still living
and gave total of 3'443.4G6 or an
average OF very nearly 2 living chill
dren in each family in which a birth
took place in 1917.
States and Cities.
The following table shows. for the
birth registration area by states and
by cities having more than 100000
population in 1910, the number of
births in 1917. the percentage OF ex-
cess of birth over deaths. and the in
fant mortality rate. The figures for
the white and colored elements Of the
are shown separately for
those areas in which colored persons
more than one-tenth of the
total DOuIIIatiOn.