THE WORLD'S CAPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 203, 29 June 1903, Page 2

THE WORLD'S CAPITAL.

BTRIKISG FIGUKE3 OF LONDON AND ITS PEOPLE. London still stands undisputed the queen city of the world. This is tbe one fAct that runs through the solid volume of " London Statis'ics'' published by the County Council recently, With six and a half million people, sha his more thin enough to populate Bsilio, Chioigo, V enna, and St. Petersburg as I hey i.ra now peopled, and yet leave a p ominent city behind. The great growth of population now steadily teed* to be concentric. Occe m*n left the city for tbe suburbs, now in turn thsy are beginoing to leave the suburbs for the Grea'er Loodoo, from ReadiDg and St. Albans to Tunbridge Wells, where town impeicep'ibly is merged io country. - I'ho electric car for the poor and the motor for the well-to-do are without doubt introducing a new era for the d.'s'ribution of London population. The most impressive thing abut the statistics of L ndon is tbe violent contrasts they present. Thc-ra are nearly 130,000 paupers, 30,000 people live in common lodging-houses, and 726,000 dwelt in over crowded rooms. Yet the aumil value of house property for taxation purposes alone ii over 40 millions. Some, of the facts are depressing, Pauperism steadily rises. Our shipping declines. The heavy burden of the rates it creases without ceasing, and tbe burden falls heaviest on the poorest district?. Thus St. Gaorge's, Hanoversquare, pays 5s 6|d in the pound, while Dow piys 9< SJ. AMUSEMENTS FOB 400,000. Some of the figures, by tbeir magnitude, lose their meaning. Thus it is difficult to realise the s : ze implied by the statement that there are over two thousand miles of streets in the County of London. Udb figure is smaller than might bo expected. There are only 350 places hcenstd for public entertainment-, of which 59 nr< theatres and forty-two m'tsic Imlls. The whole of

them will seat 400,000 people. The Council "mits to provide Btatis'ics about the churches. One if the most entrancing chapters is found in the statement from the medicl officer for London. The birthrate is below the average for the whole country, and is steadily declining. The birth-rate vat its, too, almost exactly accordicg to the poverty of the district. S r . Luke's, perhaps the poorest parish, has most births, and is immediately followed by St. Geoige's-iu-the-Bast. Then coma Mila End Old Town, Bethel GreeD, arid Southward At the tap, with little mora tlinn a fifth of the births, proportionately, of tha poorer pirts, coma St. GeargeV, Hanovet Square, and St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, When it ooines to deaths, the same proportion h.lds in tbe m»in. St. George's, Southwark, and St. LufceV heads the lis L . Bampsteid has the lowest death-rate, and judged by these returns is the healthies j part of London.

The vjluma brings out clearly the costliness of London life. The Board schools cost nearly 25 par cent, more than other places fur each child. The poor relitf ccs's twica as much per head. The local debt is ooe-fifih that of the whole cf England aud Wales London contribute 23 per cent of the income tax cf the country. Over 26 per cent of the persons sent for trial and 31 p.'r colit of the persons sentenced to death come from t hn metropolis.