The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-12-18
BIRTHS AND DEATHS MUST
BE REGISTERED IN STATE
Complete Tally Sheet of Gains
and Losses Is Kept

Every newcomer in certain state
> is required by law to have his or her
arrival duly registered, by a desig-
mated section of the state government,
within four days after being well
coined into his new abode. In the same
way, departure into the great I'M
known must be registered also, but
only twenty-four hours are expected
to elapse before this event is recorded.
The certain state" is the Maryland
Free State and the law under which
these requirements are met-known
as the Registration Law-makes the
Bureau of Vital Statistics of the State
Department of Health the custodian
of such records, and holds that Bu-
reau responsible for their collection.
Similar laws are in force in every
state in the United States, and their
combined records as reported by the
United Bureau Of the Census give a
complete tally sheet of the gains and
losses that occur throughout the
country.
What is konwn as the Registration
Area for deaths was established by
the Bureau of the Census in 1880, and
only those states whose records met
certain rigid requirements of prompt
ness and completeness of registration
were admitted to it. At the start, the
area include only Massachusetts
and New Jersey, with certain cities
in other states, but year by year the
number has increased until now forty
six of the forty-eight states, the Dis
trict of Columbia and nine cities in
non-registration states-the total
comprising 95.7 percent of the popula-
ton of the United States-are includ-
ed in the Registration Area for
deaths. Maryland has been included
in this area since 1906.
In 1915, thirty-five years after the
formation of the Registration Area
for deaths, the Registration Area for
births was established as a means OF
obtaining more complete and prompt
err reporting of births. Maryland has
been included in this area since 1916.
Quitting the registration system in
MARYLAND, DR.. John Collins, Chief Of
the State Bureau of Vital Statistics,
said: "The Maryland Registration
Law provides for the division of the
twenty-three counties into Registra-
ton Districts, and for the appoint
ment of local Registrar for each dis
trict. The local Registrar is respon-
sible for the registration of all births
and deaths occurring in that district
and for forwarding these records
promptly to the Bureau of Vital Sta
tistics of the State Department Of
Health. The law requires the attend
ant at a birth to report the birth to
the local or Deputy Registrar within
four days of it's occurrence. A death
must be reported to the Registrar
within twenty-four hours.
"The registration Of births and
deaths is frequently referred to as
the bookkeeping of humanity. In
that sense, it is like the bookkeeping
that is done by every carefully con-
Quoted business concern. 1t records
and checks up the income and outgo,
of the most precious resources of the
state, its human capitalists citi-
zens. 1t is consequently one of the
most important functions of the State
Department of Health, and its effec-
tiveness depends upon the accuracy,
completeness and promptness with
which the information is forwarded
to, and recorded by, those to whom
that duty is entrusted"