The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1904-02-20 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

HIMANN. AND WIST  At the ammilmeof the H' oylake and West nary District held on Monday, the ennui ieport of the Medical Ofileer Of Health (Mr. G. A. Keeps, M.D.) wee submitted. Tbeo•eier at theme:set etatee that the population of Hayek* and Wee Kirby 'urban district eetimated for the middle of OM year 1908 was 11,784. This estimate was bleed an the aseuMption that the populate& had eoatinued to income* at the same nits eine, the ensue of 1901 as during the Witten years, and was in accord with t at which the building of sew be wee proosediag. The hirtbe that cionerred during 1908 numbered 286, which *reset the rate of 24.2 per 1,000 persons living in the district. The wee 2.1 above the average of the previous decade, and higher than any airtn rate that bee occurred since 1994 in the district. The deaths of perm" belonging the district numbered 127 the tad 3 deaths of peewee not belonging to the district that occurred in the Coweslament Hone, end including 13 deaths' of permits belongiag to the district that occurred in public institutions outside, vie., 1 in the workhouse, 2 in the fever beipital, 9 in the county lunatic aeylum, sad 10 in Liverpool hospitals The death rate for the year was .thus 10.77 per 1,000 persons living In the district, which was lower than the unprecatlentedly low death rate of the previous rear, which was 11.37, and., nearly the.. /owes than the average a the ten years 1998-1902. The percentage of deaths of infants under one year of age to birthe was 8.77, which ie nearly three below e average of the previous tan years. and lower than any year of the decade except 1902. The causes of death include 1 from diphtheria, 1 from- typhoid fever, 8 from diarrhea, 1 from puerperal fever, 2 from influenza, 17 frcen phthisia, 6 from other tubercular diseases, 8 from ream, 13 from bronchitis or pneumonia., 4 from cirrhosis of the liver, 4 from premature birth, 9 from heart deem, 1 from accident, and 3 suicides. As compared with the previous year there was no death from scarlet fever or whooping cough, and only one death from diphrtherie instead of two. There wee in 1902 no death biota typhoid fever nor from influents. Under the Notification Act were reported 1 ceee of small-pox (in the Coneslament Home), 19 cases of diphtheria as compared with 25 in the previous year, 3 of eresipelse, 87 of scarlet fever, as compared with 40 in the previous year, and 12 of typhoid fever, as compared with 8 in the previous year. Section 101 of the Nam,. and Workshop Act, 1901, having prohibited the continuance in use of underground bakehouses after January Ist, 1906, unless certified by the District Council to be suitable for that purpose. neceesitated a consideration of the circumstances of the only two underground bakehouses in the district, and of these only one was deemed to be entitled to a certificate. The other was unfit, and has been discontinued, and a new bakehouele has been constructed above ground to replace it. Tho district has an excellent supply of water from the West Kirby Waterworks (deep wells). This water hoe the advantage of being free from the excessive hardoess complained of in IMMO pets of the Hundred of Wirral. The 'sewerage of the .district las recelted great attention, and has been greatly extended, with new ontfall tanks during the year. The Itlrteyor and engineer's report states that the now ewer ontfall works at Great Mails are now completed, a deep level sewer is now in course of construction, which will serve for the houses on Formant'. Green, and for a large unbuilt portion of the district, which at present is unable to sonnect to the existing sewer. The outfall works consist of three retaining tanks, built an three levels to Boit the levels of the three new medal' sewers. The new retaining weer at the Dee-lane outlet, West Kirby, has been completed, and is working satisfactorily. The sewers in the district are inspected periodically and flushed regularly, some of them every week and others every fortnight In regard to scavenging work, during the past year 3,320 loads of refuse have been removed and disposed of in convenient places. Tb• dustbins are emptied weekly, and the ashpits every two ar three weeks. Nine new streets and 18 back passages have been made up daring the year under the Private Street Works Act, 1892. Great improvements have been effected in, Weetbourne-road, Birkenboad-read, end Coldy-road, and Banks-road is at present being very Materially widened. The widening and laying out of Birkenhead-road alone hes cost .g 4,000. During the year 109 new houses and 11 shops have been completed; there are in process of construction 57 houses, 16 shops, and 1 church. During the year 124 nuisances of various kinds have been dealt with, 51 formal and 92 informal notices have been served in connection therewith, and the whole of thee nuieenees have been satisfactorily abated, with the exception of a very few outstanding cases. The register of workshops contains particulars of 89 workshops of earners kinds, in which are employed 151 melee and 117 females. There are 18 registered cow-keepers and 19 purveyors t0:671k. There are atzem4 tilaughttfr