[Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council.

  • Durham (England : County). Council.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/224 (page 4)
    Remedy for overcrowd- ing. Decline in birth-rate. common, but that they are not more numerous. During an en- quiry held by the County Council under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, in the XJswortli township of the Chester-le-Street rural district, it was pointed out by me that of the total of 542 houses inspected 266 or over 49 per cent, were over- crowded according to the standard laid down by the Registrar- General, although every occupied room, whether habitable or not, was included in the calculation. The medical officer of health of the Sunderland rural district points out that in two of his most populous townships overcrowding continues to increase, while several other medical officers of health also refer to overcrowding in their districts, and its attendant evils. If the scarcity of houses cannot be overcome by private enter- prise, the only remedy lies in the local sanitary authorities exercising their powers under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, and themselves erecting the necessary dwellings. The Sunderland Rural District Council have alread}^ decided* to carry out a scheme for that purpose in the townships of Ryhope and Tunstall, and unless the deficienc}^ of houses in the Usworth township of the Chester- le-Street rural district is removed, the County Council will have no alternative but to act on the representation of the Parish Council, and themselves erect workmen’s dwellings in default of the Rural District Council. Births. The births registered during the year numbered 29,977, a decrease of 606 as compared with 1904. The birth-rate was 34*4 per 1,000 population, which is the lowest of which I have a record, though it is very considerably in excess of the rate for England and Wales, which was only 27*2, and the lowest ever recorded. Respecting the county birth-rate, it was as low as 30-9 in the non-county boroughs, but for the other urban districts it was 35*6, and for the rural districts 35*2, though in each case there was a decline as compared with 1904. Prior to 1905 there was no evidence that this county was sharing in the persistent