REFUSING TO MARRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 247, 11 July 1908, Page 10

REFUSING TO MARRY.

LONDON'S BACHELORS AND SPINSTERS. STRIKING FIGURES. London's bachelors and spinsters aro every year showing less oagorness to accompany each other to the altar. This is ono of tho many interesting facts which aro brought to light in the annual summary of tho vital statistics for England and Wales for 1907, issued recently by. tho Registrar-General. This refusal to marry is apparently limited to London, for tho statistics for tho wholo of England and Wales, show that tho marriage rate last j'oar was slightly abovo that of 1906. In London, however, it was almost an equal amount below, while compared with tho averago rate for tho past ten years it was 0.8 per 1000 down. London is, indeed, threatened with becoming a city of bachelors and spinsters. Hero aro some startling figures taken from tho report:— ■ In 1871 there were. 386 bachelors to. every 1000 males over fifteen years of age. Now thcro aro .421't0 every 1000. In 1871 there woro 389 spinsters to every 1000 women over fifteen years of . age. Now there aro 422. Tho chango is oven more strikingly shown in tho following table, giving the proportions of married ana unmarried in every 1000 at various ages:—

The Registrar makes no effort to explain the reason for this extraordinary increase of those who prefer bachelorhood and spinsterhood to marriage. BIRTHS AND DEATHS. • The births and deaths of tho year also provide much interesting reading. Here are the main figures as they relate to tho wholo country:— Tho children born numbered 917,636. 1 This total reproseuted a birth-rato of 26.3 per 1000 of the population—the lowest on record. Th.e deaths numbered 524,311, representing a death-rate of 15 per 1000 of tho : population—tho lowest on record. The exact population of tho country cannot bo givon. At tho dato of tho last census —March, 1901 —it was 32,527,843. From that dato until the middle of 1907 tho births exceeded tho number of deaths by 2,521,141, bringing the total, up to 35,048,954. It is estimated, however, that there: has been a net loss on immigration and emigration, for which tho exact figures aro not available, of 103,384, thus leaving the population at tho middle of last year 34,945,600. Tho 524,311 deaths last year were divided as follows Under one year ... ... ... 108,214 Between ono and sixty years ... 236,646 Over sixty ■ 179,451 Ono of tho most striking features of tho 'report is the fact that the infantilo birthrato fell to: 118 per 1000 births—l 4 bolow the average of 1906, and lower than-tho average of any other year on record. • Compared with the avorage of tho ten-years-, 1897-1906, the saving of child life has amountod to 27 per 1000 births. This reduction last year alone meant tho saving of over 14,150 lives. One moro fact. Of the total number of • 72,127 deaths registered in London last year ' 28,723 took place ,in workhouses, hospitals, or public lunatic asylums. •

MEN. 1871. ' Now. 20 to 25 years — Married 228 176 Unmarried 772 . 82-1 25 to 35 years — Married 681 621 Unmarried 319 379 35 to 45 years — Married 809 829 Unmarried 131 173 WOMEN. 20 to 26 years — Married 331 269 Unmarried G69 731 25 to 35 years — Married 672 .622 Unmarried 328 378 35 to 45 years — Married 818 787 Unmarried 182 • 213