§ MR. CHARLEYasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he would state what are the actual numbers of persons living in England on which the average annual rate of mortality mentioned in the column headed "under one year," in the Table at page 136 of the Fourth Report of the Friendly Societies Commission is founded; and are such numbers contained in any and which of the published Reports of the Registrar General; does the rate of mortality shown in such column include all deaths registered as one year of age; do the local Registrars register deaths during the second year of life as one year or as two years of age; has the same system been employed in estimating the rate of mortality in the various places named in such Table as for all England; and, have any special returns been made showing in what localities the death rates are under the average for all England?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, the data for calculating the average annual rate of mortality at the different ages for England were supplied by the Registrar General, but the calculation was made by the Royal Commissioners. The average annual rate of mortality in England at the age "under one year" was obtained from the mean of the population enumerated at the Censuses of 1861 and 1871, and from the number of deaths registered in the 10 years 1861–70, at that age. The facts and calculation for England, which will appear in the forthcoming Supplement to the Registrar General's 35th Annual Report are as follows and it will be observed that the result does not differ materially from that in the Friendly Societies' Report:—Mean population, 1861–71, under one year of age, 640,306, deaths registered in the 10 years 1861–70 under the age of one year 1; 155,182; average annual rate of mortality in England, of children" under one year of age" to 100 living in the 10 years 1861–1870, 18–041. The rate of mortality in this statement does not include deaths registered as one year of age; they are 1444 the deaths in the first year of age. The local Registrars register deaths under one year of age as "under one year," and deaths aged one year and under two years are registered as "one and under two years." The same system has been employed by the Registrar General in calculating the mortality in the various places named in the Table as for all England. Special Returns showing the death-rate in England and in the various districts of England are published every 10 years; those relating to the 10 years 1861–70 will shortly be presented to Parliament.