3&77 Chi CHILDBIRTH IN NEW SOUTH WALES A STUDY IN STATISTICS. COGHLAN. CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM W. F. Willcox Cornell University Library HB3677 .C67 Childbirth in New South Wales: olin 3 1924 030 421 154 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030421154 CHILDBIRTH NEW SOUTH WALES A STUDY IN STATISTICS. ILLUSTRATED BY EIGHT DIAGRAMS. T. A. COGHLAN, Statistician of New South Wales : Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. Sydney : William Applegate Gullick, Government Printer. 1899. .1 r ARRANGEMENT OF CONTENTS. PAGE, Introduction 5 Expectation of Married Life 13 Period and Duration of Fertility 14 Fertile Marriages 15 Number of Children to a Marriage 22 First Births 25 Barren Marriages 28 Effect of Postponement of Marriage on Fertility 30 Monogenous Natality 33 Bigenous Natality , 36 Ante-nuptial Conception and Illegitimacy 40 Sex 43 Plurality at a Birth 45 Deaths in Childbirth 47 Appendices : Data from which conclusions were drawn 56 Diagrams. A. Probability of a Birth within 12 Months. B. Annual Birth-rate to every 100 Husbands. C. Annual Birth-rate to every 100 Wives. D. Probability of a Birth to Husbands and Wives of various ages. E. Probable equality of Birth-rates (Isogens) to couples of various ages. F. Proportion of Male Births per 100 Fathers, at different ages. G. Proportion of Male Births per 100 Mothers, at different ages. H. Probabilities of Death in Childbirth. INTRODUCTION. The investigations, the results of which appear in the fol- lowing pages, represent the experience derived from the various colonies of Australia, but chiefly from New South Wales. As, however, there is nothing in regard to the pheno- mena of childbirth in which Australia can be said to differ in any material way from other civilised countries, the results can be considered, if not of universal application, as applicable to communities under conditions similar to those prevailing in Australia. The particular branch of social statistics dealt with has been greatly neglected, and much of what is here presented will be welcomed by all interested in such matters, as no similar information has hitherto been published. The influence of the married state as a help to a longer life is incidentally investigated, and the statistics confirm the popular notion that the married, as a rule, live longer than the single, even when all are excluded from the comparison whom natural or acquired disabilities force to remain unmarried. The period of fertility amongst women is shown to extend from the twelfth to the fifty-eighth year, as at each of these ages there have been confinements in New South Wales during the past six years. Notwithstanding that the years of possible fertility cover so long a period, not ten out of a hundred births occur to mothers under 2 1 years of age, nor does more than the same proportion occur to mothers over 38 years. During the eighteen years of the mother's life from 21 to 38,- three of every four of her children are born ; while not three in two hundred children have mothers whose ages are below 1 8 or more than 45. These ages last mentioned may be taken as marking the limits of the child-bearing period properly so- called, "iqrnr The proportion of fertile marriages is probably becoming smaller in most civilised countries. So far as Australia _is concerned the decline can be stated with exactness ; for whereas there were nine fertile marriages in every ten con- tracted a generation ago, there are but eight at the present time. The decline is common to all but the youngest ages, and is more marked as the age at marriage increases. How far this condition is due to prevention, and how far to natural sterility, is a problem which the statistics do not solve. Three sets of facts are available : the first shows that for all women the proportion of fertile marriages is declining ; the second, that amongst fertile women the birth-rate is much reduced as compared with what it was twenty years ago ; and the third, that Australian women are less fertile than the European women who have t emigrated to these shores. As regards the general question of the decline in fertility there are many points of illustration. The average birth-rate throughout Australia is now not more than 20 for every hundred women between the ages of 18 and 50 years, while as recently as 1884 the number was 30; so that the decline is equal to one-third. A striking instance of this comes from New South Wales. In 1885 there were 112,546 women of the ages stated; in 1898 there were 165,767 ; yet the same number of children were born in each year. Looking more closely into the matter, it is found that the birth-rate amongst married women who have not had previous issue has fallen from 337 per hundred to only 26-5 ; whilst for women with previous issue, the rate, which was 27-8 in 1887, is now not more than 19. At every stage of child-bearing the reduction in the birth-rate is visible. Taking Australia as a whole, and including New Zealand, the fall in the birth-rate is such that there are 47,000 births less than would have occurred under the rates prevailing as late as ten years ago. So important a development of social life must have far-reaching consequences, although its economic effects are only beginning to be visible. From New Zealand comes the cry that the children are not sufficiently numerous to fill the schools ; while in Victoria there must be a like state of affairs, seeing that there are now a less number of children under ten years of age than in 1891. The couples without children are, in proportion, twice as numerous as they were in the last generation, and the number to a couple has on an average fallen from 5-31 to 4/04 — that is, by 127 children to a hundred families. There has been a slight tendency to postpone marriages, the age both of grooms and brides being now somewhat higher than formerly. This, however, does not account for the reduction in the size of families, seeing that the decline is found at every age of marriage. Where the bride's age is 20 the average number of her children was formerly 6'2, now it is 5*3 ; at age 36 the reduction is from 3^4 to 2-2 ; at age 39, from i-i to 0-5 ; and so at every age. It must not be supposed, how- ever, that there are no longer any large families ; on the contrary, as many as 29 children have been born to the same father, and 2 1 to the same mother ; but these large families are very much less frequent than was once the case. The marriages of a generation ago produced an average of 5-31 children. To women of British or Irish birth the number of children to a family was 5*6 ; to Australian women the average was only 47. The number for all classes has now fallen to 4 children per marriage, the reduction affecting both the native-born and women of British birth — but more largely the former ; and although the facts are not absolutely conclu- sive, it would appear that the families of women of Australian birth do not now on an average exceed 3-5. In connection with this extremely important matter there is much room for further investigation. It will probably be found that the women who bear large families can be assigned to one or other of certain distinct classes: those who look upon child-bearing as a condition of the married state to be accepted — cheerfully or not, as the case may be — as amongst the things that are inevitable; those who are influenced in their conduct by considerations of religion ; and those who, uninfluenced by motives of prudence or religion, are careless as to the number and fate of their offspring, being ready at any moment to transfer the obligation of their support to the community at large. The prevalence of births of ante-nuptial conception — a matter hitherto little understood — has now been completely investigated. The number of these births varies with the conditions of every country. In New South Wales, during the past six years, there were 13,366 marriages in respect of which there was ante-nuptial conception, and as the total number of marriages was 49,641, at least 27 marriages in a hundred followed conception. During the same period the illegitimate births numbered 14,779 — there were therefore 28,145 cases of conception amongst unmarried women; in 13,366 instances marriage preceded the birth of the child, so that the children were legitimatised in rather more than 47 cases out of 100. A study of the figures of births of ante- nuptial conception makes it obvious that in a very large number of instances premarital intercourse is not an anticipa- tion of marriage already arranged, but that the marriages are forced upon the parties, and would not be entered into were it not for the condition of the woman. The marriage rates throughout Australia are by no means high, and would be much lower if it were not for the mis- chances of ante-nuptial intercourse. As one-third of all first births are due to ante-nuptial conception, the discussion of the phenomena attending such births is a good deal affected by that circumstance. Setting aside births of ante-nuptial con- ception, the time elapsing from marriage to the birth of a child averages about nineteen months, but with individuals the times vary from nine months to 22 years. The fertility of a marriage will be proved in 33 cases out of a hundred within twelve months of its being contracted, in 64 cases within two years, and in 7 1 cases in three years, after which time only six more marriages will prove fertile. Of every hundred unions, therefore, there will be about 77 to which children will be born ; some of the remaining 23 will be cut short by death before being fully tested as regards fertility, but the most of them will be barren under any circumstances. Postponement of marriage on the part of a woman conduces to infertility, as the reproductive system if unused becomes inoperative. This will be readily seen from the illustrations given in the text. Excluding marriages where ante-nuptial conception has taken place, it is found that when a woman is 3 1 years of age and just married, her chances of having a child within twelve months are not greater than those of a woman of the same age who has already had children ; at age 38 the probabilities are two to. one in favour of the woman with previous issue, and at age 42 three to one. Some few years ago Korosi, the distinguished Hungarian statistician, made an elaborate investigation of the legitimate birth-rates to men and women of various ages, and from the results brought out by him, Mr. Francis Galton deduced a law, viz., that there is a constant number from which, if the united ages of parents be subtracted, the difference approxi- mates to the number per cent, of parents to whom children will be born during a year. The investigation of the New South Wales statistics, covering far more extensive data than obtainable in Budapest, discloses no such law, nor anything analogous to it. The general law governing natality i( in Australia is one which is probably of universal application ; it is that, with one exception, the younger the parents the greater probability of a birth. The exception is with wives verging on the limit of the child-bearing period. A woman, as she approaches that limit, possesses the greatest chance of becoming a mother with a husband of or about her own age. The question is one of great interest, and has hitherto not received the attention its importance warrants. The summit of natality for a man is at the youngest age of manhood, or rather at age 21, which is the lowest investigated; women, on the other hand, attain the summit of natality with their 23rd year, the birth-rate for women aged 18 averaging only 24 per cent., compared with 30-1 at age 23. Taking husbands, and wives together, the highest (bigenous) natality is with fathers of 22 years and mothers of 24 years, at which ages the proportion of births was 32-1 per cent. It is a somewhat g eneral belief that the ages of the parents affect the sex of their offspring ; this is true, but only in a. limited degree. The total male births always exceed the female births ; this excess is found at almost all ages of parents, and the exceptions to the rule do not cover very many cases. Where the father is ten years younger than the mother, there will be more female births than male ; also where the father is 20 years or more older than the mother, provided the latter is herself not under 22 years nor over 33 years of age. The " female births exceed the male as the mother approaches the limits of child-bearing, no matter what the father's age may 11 be. The youngest children in families where the mother continues to be fruitful up to about age 45, are more often girls than boys. J ' In one important respect the age of the parents is very Waferial; both twins and triplets are more often born to ?noi§iers over 30 than at ages below that year, and this in spite of the fact that far more than half the births occur before mothers attain that age. It is well established that whatever may be due to heredity in regard to plural births, the age of the parents is the chief factor in determining their occurrence. There were 2,210 cases of plural birth in New South Wales during the past six years, and of these 1,342 happened to mothers of 30 years and upwards; while the number to be expected from the ordinary births at these ages would be 1,049. Of J 9 triplet births, 14 occurred to women over 30 years, and also two of the three quadruplet births. The preponderance of plural births at the later ages is even more strongly marked amongst unmarried mothers. There is a singular dearth of information in regard to deaths in childbirth ; the actual number of such deaths are of course known wherever vital statistics are collected, but the more important details are singularly wanting. The statistics of New South Wales are now, in all important respects, the most complete yet published. For all ages, the risk in childbirth is 1 death to 142 confinements. The first confinement is more dangerous than any subsequent one up to the ninth ; the minimum risk is at the second confinement, although the risk at the third is not much greater. After the third confine- ment the risk increases rapidly, but the question is not suffi- ciently investigated to enable it to be decided how much of the increased risk is due to loss of vitality or other conditions arising out of previous confinements and how much to the increased age of the mother. Distinguishing confinements into those of primiparss and multipara, it is found that the age of least risk is in both cases 2 1 years. For first con- finements (primiparae) the risk at age 17 is 1 death in 100 confinements; at age 21 it is 1 in 150; at age 25, 1 in 109 ; at age 30, 1 in 82 ; and at age 40, 1 in 50. For multiparas the risk is very much less at all ages. At age 1 8 there is 1 death in 264 confinements ; at age 21, 1 in 3,50 ; at age 30, 1 in 173 ; at age 40, 1 in 101. The risks indicated are apparently very- high, but not so high as those established by Dr. Matthews Duncan, of Glasgow, other than whose statistics there are none existing with which they can be compared. Other phases of the phenomena of childbirth than those outlined above are touched upon in the following pages, and the various diagrams with which they are illustrated will help to make the text and tables more easily understood. 13 STATISTICS RELATING TO CHILD-BIRTH. Expectation of Maeeied Life. ""THE duration of a marriage depends upon the ages of the parties contracting that marriage. In New South Wales it has been ascertained that the average age of husbands is about four and a half years higher than that of their wives, and the following life table has been calculated on the assumption that this average holds good for each age, as well as for all ages taken together. To the duration of the joint lives — tnat is to say, of their marriage — has been added the •term which the survivor may be expected to live after the death of his or her partner : — Table I. — Expectation of Married Life. Age of Husband. Mean duration of Marriage. Mean duration of period lived by Wife after death of Husband. Mean duration of period lived by Husband after death of Wife. years. 20 years. 351 years. 13 3 years 7-0 25 31 -5 12-6 6-7 30 28-1 11-8 62 35 24-8 11-2 5-7 40 21-7 10-5 5-1 45 18-8 9-8 4-5 50 15-9 9 3 9 55 13-1 8-1 3-5 60 10-4 7-1 3 2 65 8-2 6-0 2-8 There are special statistics which enable a comparison in regard to longevity to be made between the married and the unmarried. These bear out the widely-accepted idea that the length of lifetime of married persons exceeds that of the unmarried. This excess is a little short of five and a half years for females up to about age 40, and about the same for males to age 45 ; after the years named the difference lessens, and almost disappears at the extreme ages. No conclusions of any practical utility can, however, be made from these or other available data as to ' the extent to which the married state is superior to the unmarried as a help to a long life. Only a part of the unmarried are of the same class as that from which the married are drawn, the H remainder largely comprising persons whose lives are impaired from the beginning, and who ought, if possible, to be excluded from the comparison. Amongst the unmarried are the great majority of the insane — 75 per cent, of the male and 46 per cent, of the female insane being unmarried; whereas amongst the general population over 20 years of age, only 44 per cent, of the males are unmarried, and 22 per cent, of the females. There are also many persons maimed, blind, bedridden, and otherwise afflicted to whom marriage is an impossibility, and whose lower expecta- tion of life affects the average of the general population as compared with that of the married. And in regard to females marrying late in life, their expectation may be presumed to be large, for they are in a sense selected lives, otherwise they would not be asked in marriage in preference to younger women. It will be found, however, that when ample allowance has been made on the score of such persons, the ex- pectation of life of the married is considerably higher than that of the unmarried, even if all the persons morally or physically unfit for marriage be left out of the comparison. Period and Duration op Fertility. During the six years (1893-98) the number of legitimate births was 210,935, and of illegitimate births, 14,779. The ages of the fathers varied between 17 and 85 years ; but, as will be seen when the effect of age on child-bearing is dealt with, the number of offspring to a marriage depends almost wholly on the age of the female, and nothing determi- native can be arrived at from the statistics as to the duration of fertility * as regards the male. It is, therefore, only necessary to consider the question of fertility in regard to women. The youngest mother was 12 years old ; but in the course of the six years there was happily only one such mother, and she was unmarried. At age 13 there were five mothers, and at age 14, forty-five. Not more than 62 births in 10,000 occur after age 45 is reached, and not 1 in 10,000 at ages from 50 onwards ; but a birth has occurred within the period mentioned at as late an age as 58, the records showing three mothers aged 52, one aged 53, two aged 55, one aged 56, and one aged 58. There was also a child born to an unmarried woman aged 55. As, however, 9,938 out of every 10,000 children are born to mothers below 45 years of age, the limit of child- bearing may be placed for all ordinary cases at that year, although, in some of the tables given hereafter, the limit of child-bearing has been taken as 50 years. The age distribution of mothers is as set out in the following table. The proportion of legitimate births increases with each year of the mother's age up to 26 years, at which age most children are born. This is not, however, the age of greatest fertility, for, as will be shown later on, a woman reaches the summit of her fertility three years previously. Amongst unmarried mothers the greatest proportion of births is at age 20. 15 Table II.— r Proportion of Mothers of each age, Age of Per 10,000 Births. Age of Per 10.000 Births. ( Mother. Legiti- Illegiti- All Mother. Legiti- Illegiti- All 4J- mate. mate. Births. mate. mate. Births. ,?.yj : ssi '12 0-7 00 26 590-3 397 9 577-7 -KT.13 47 0-3 27 572-7 332-9 557-0 [., 14 0-3 37 2 2-7 28 587-1 309-9 569-0 ''."15 2-2 104-9 8-9 29 535-4 242-2 516-2 16 11-7 284 9 29-6 30 & under 35 2,348 9 870-2 2,252-1 17 46 1 572-4 80-6 35 „ 40 1,629-9 544-0 1,558-8 18 106-0 8160 152-4 40 „ 45 606-3 163-7 577-4 19 188-4 952-0 238-4 45 32-1 9-5 30-7 20 254-2 954-1 300-0 46 16 9 6-8 16-2 21 366-1 908-0 401 -6 47 9-4 1-3 8-9 22 452-8 809-3 476-2 48 3-9 1-3 3-8 23 523-3 684-1 533 8 49 1-5 0-7 1-4 24 550-3 539 3 549 6 50 0-4 2-7 0-5 25 563-4 448-6 555-8 Over 50 0-4 0-7 0-4 The age of the mothers of one-fourth of the children born does' not exceed 24 years, and before women pass their 28th year they give birth to one half their offspring. Only 10 per cent, of the births occur after age 38, and less than 7 per cent, after age 40 has been attained. The following statement shows the ages nearest to which the indicated pro- portion of births occur. Percentage of births. Age before which percentage occurs. 10 21 years. 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 23 25 27 28 30 32 35 38 Proportion of Fertile Marriages. The experience from which the probable fertility of women is ■deduced is the number of first births occurring during the three years 1896-98 compared with the number of women of child-bearing ages who were married in those years. It is true that the births were not in all cases the fruit of these marriages, and that a number of marriages, especially those entered on during the last year of the i6 period, had not been contracted sufficiently long to be fruitful ; but the one element of error may be said to eliminate the other, as the marriages unproved as regards fertility at the end of the period may be taken as fairly balanced by the marriages contracted prior to 1896 and remaining unproved at the beginning of that year. On the basis just mentioned, the distribution of marriages and births into age groups for the three years would be as follows : — Table III. — Fertility of Recent Marriages. , Age of Women at Marriage. Average for ages, 16 to 45 years Percentage of Marriages proving fertile. 95-66 79-72 77-91 66-31 46-67 17-42 The death registers record the number of children borne by each woman who dies, while the birth registers record the occurrence of the births of these children. Owing to the long period that usually elapses between marriage and death, the two sets of registrations in any par- ticular year refer to two different sets of women, and there are there- fore two distinct sources from which the number of fertile women may be deduced. The proportions of fertile m arris ges, as ascertained from the death registers of 1893-98, are as follow : — Table IV. — Fertility of Earlier Marriages. Age of Women at Marriage Speaking generally, the figures given in Table IV refer to women who were married a generation ago, the average duration of the *7 marriages of the persons enumerated being 314 years, while those in the preceding table refer to quite recent marriages. The propor- tion of fruitful unions is 89'39 per cent, in the case of the earlier marriages, and 79-87 per cent, of those of the present day, the decline being common to all age groups except the first (16 and under 21 years). The difference between the rates, great as it is, does not indicate the falling off in the proportion of children born ; for, as subsequent tables show, the birth-rate amongst married women of child-bearing .ages has fallen, even in the last fifteen years, from 30 to 20 per cent., and the number of children to a family from 5"31 to 4-04. Not only has the number of women who bear children declined, but fewer children are born to those who are fruitful. The average number of births per hundred married women of child- bearing ages is shown in the following statement : — Table V.- -Showing decline in Birth-rate 1881 -1898. Estimated Estimated number of number of Year. married women Legitimate Birth-rate Year. married women Legitimate Birth-rate under 50 years Births. per cent. under 50 years Births. per cent. of age of age (mean of year). (mean of year). 1881 92.513 27,510 2974 1890 134,767 36,530 27-11 1882 96,715 28,238 29-20 1891 140,106 36,972 26-39 1883 101,695 29,684 29-19 1892 145,210 37,432 25-78 1884 107,194 32,172 30-01 1893- 149,061 37,437 25-12 1885 112,546 33,135 29-41 1894 152,412 36,158 23 72 1886 117,849 34,283 29-09 1895 155,849 35,857 23 01 1887 122,466 35,228 28-77 1896 159,142 33,736 21-20 1888 126,478 36,218 28-64 1897 162,385 34,394 21-18 1889 130,433 34,997 26-83 189S 165,767 33,353 20-12 During the eighteen years covered by the table a very remarkable change took place in the proportion of women who bore children. Up to 1888, and including that year, there was no great decline in the proportion of births, the percentages slightly rising above or falling below an average of 29-3, the variation being due in a large measure to a like variation in the number of marriages contracted ; but after 1888 the percentage of births showed regular and substantial decline, until in 1898 it reached the very low figure of 20-12. The decline is found amongst women of all ages, those recently married equally with those who have borne several children. The following statement makes plain the change which has taken place. For first births the percentage is shown both including and excluding births of antenuptial conception ; the number of these latter, however, is only known since 1892. For that and previous years an allowance has been made on the basis of the rates ascertained for 1893. The table gives the number of births occurring i8 during a year to every 100 married women under 50 years, distinguishing those who had not already been mothers, those who had had one child, two children, etc., the last group comprising those who had already had seven or more children : — Table VI. — Showing Birth-rate amongst women, according to previous issue. No previous issue. Including ante- nuptial conceptions Excluding ante- nuptial conceptions With 1 child. With 2 children. With 3 children With 4 children. With 5 children. With 6 children. With 7 children and over. per cent. per cent. 1S87 33-74 27-24 1888 33-19 26-69 1889 31-26 24-76 1890 34-29 27-79 1891 33-86 27-36 1892 31-86 25-36 1893 31-27 24-77 1894 29-10 22-24 1895 28-13 20-75 1896 26-74 19-34 1897 26-31 18-81 1898 26-51 19-36 per cent. 2S-83 27-72 24-76 27-02 26-16 23-63 22-49 22-14 21 -78 19-73 19-94 18-76 per cent, per cent. 29-77 30-00 27-86 29-49 30-44 27-06 26-42 25-27 25 03 22-87 22-88 20-71 31-42 31-44 29-70 29-32 26-35 26-51 25-79 23-56 22-48 20-89 20-63 19-80 per cent. per cent. per cent. 28-43 32-18 33-32 28-78 31-71 31-61 28-28 29-61 28-53 25-32 27-08 26-62 2570 23-51 23-66 25-79 25-98 26-94 25-29 25 01 25-64 23-25 22-80 24-00 22-54 22-76 22-04 2014 20-06 20-50 20-24 19-56 2011 18-43 18-04 18-55 20-79 21-46 20-48 19-46 19-97 20-75 20-76 20-22 19-28 17-95 18-38 17-67 It is a natural expectation that women who have been mothers should be desirous of avoiding the cares incidental to child-bearing for as long a time as possible, and that, therefore, the interval between a woman's confinements should grow longer and longer according to the number of her children, but the figures just given indicate a condition of things very little realised. It is true that there has been a growing indisposition to bear children ; but this indisposition exists from the date of marriage, ajfecting the birth-rate at every age and stage of married life, and does not increase to any great extent with the number of children already borne; for, as the previous table and the following summary show, there is little difference in the proportion of births amongst women within the period of child-bearing, whether such women have borne few or many children. In regard to women without issue, the figures require qualification. The rates given are for all women, including those who are barren, and in regard to whom there is really not any expectation of issue. Subsequent tables show that the number of such women is very large (about 22-6 per hundred), and if these be excluded from the comparison, the real expectation of a woman who is without issue having a child is increased to 31-34 per cent. ; and this is the proper figure to set against the proportions for women of the other groups. The !9 averages for the twelve years for each group are as follows, only married women under 50 years of age being included : — ■ Birth-rate per annum for every 100 women. Without children, excluding antenuptial conceptions (apparent)... 23*25 (real) 31 "34 With 1 child 23-24 „ 2 children 26'27 „ 3 , , 25-14 ,, * » - 2 399 „ 5 „ 24-16 „ 6 , 24-46 „ 7 ,, and over 19 - 76 Referring to Table VI, on the preceding page, it will be seen that there has been an astonishing decline in the number of children born to women of all classes. Amongst those who have already had seven children the rates were not materially lower during the last half than during the first half of the period covered by the table, such difference as there is being due in part to the separation of husbands and wives owing to slackness of work following the bank crisis of 1893, and in part to the fact that the failure of conception in the other classes has had the effect of depriving this group of the hitherto customary accessions of fertile women, with the result that the class of women with seven children and over is now more largely composed than in the earlier years of the table, of women approaching the limit of child-bearing. The first- mentioned cause has, of course, affected the birth-rates of all classes ; but as the decline from 1887 to 1898, in the birth-rate of women with seven children and upwards, has only been a little more than one-seventh, no greater ratio can be allowed on the same score to the other classes ; so that the bulk of the decrease is manifestly attributable to a very different cause. The proportion of women without previous issue to whom children were born during the five years, 1887-1891, averaged 33-27 per cent., including births due to antenuptial conception, and 26-77 per cent, excluding such births • from 1891 the rate fell year after year, until, in 1897, it was 26-31 per cent, including, and 18-81 per cent, excluding, births of antenuptial conception. Where, therefore, there were 100 births due to post-nuptial conception up to 1891, there are now only 70 births. The year 1891 also roughly marks the beginning of the serious decline in the births of second and third children ; but the falling- off in the proportion of women, with already three or more children, who again became mothers began to show a decline as early as 1888. If the birth rates of 1887 had been maintained in 1898 there would have been 47,691 children instead of 33,353 actually born, 20 a decline of 14,338 births in one year, the falling off being thus distributed — First births 1,972 Second „ 2,949 Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh 958 2,295 1,690 1,989 1,652 Eighth and over 833 Total 14,338 The evenness maintained in the rates of birth of the various groups, as compared with one another, notwithstanding the great and per- sistent decline in each group, assuredly points to the fact that there is a large section of the community to whom the practice of prevention is unknown, and who accept child-bearing as a condition of married life from which they do not take means to escape. In thus resigning them- selves to the bearing of large families there are some who are influenced by the force of religious scruples, and these comprise a large proportion of the child-bearing class : there are others to whom children come as an acceptable burthen, they believe in the scriptural counsel, " Happy is the man who hath his quiver full"; but it is to be feared that the largest class of all is comprised of those who, though unequal to the responsibilities of a large family, are as fertile as they are unfit. It would have been interesting to have pursued the inquiry further, in order to discover whether the birth-rate has declined more in one class of the population than in another, but the information available does not admit of this being done with that satisfying accuracy that statistics can alone supply, still there is sufficient evidence to allow of the conclusion that it is amongst persons whose means are most adequate , to the proper rearing of children that the smaller families are found. Besides what has already been given, two other interesting divisions of the data in regard to families are possible, first of mothers according to the place of their birth, and second of fathers according to the callings pursued by them at the time of their death. The average families of women according to their place of birth were as follow : — Birthplace. Children to each Mother. Australasia 4'73 England and Wales 5-50 Scotland 5'71 Ireland , • 5-68 .European Countries 5 '15 21 To make information of the kind just given conclusive, the ages of the women ought to be taken into consideration. This can be done to a limited extent only ; but there can be no doubt that Australian-born women have not had in the past as many children as women of European birth. As already explained, these averages relate to women who married a generation ago, and whose average family is 5 '31 ; for women of to-day this average has fallen to 4-04, and so far as those of Austra- lasian birth are concerned, the number of children set down above is altogether too high, and there appears to be sufficient warrant for the assumption that their offspring do not on an average number as many as four, probably not more than 3 - 5. A statement of the number of children to a family according to the social condition of parents cannot be given, the nearest approach to such being the following classification of families according to the occu- pations of the fathers. The figures are based on the records of earlier unions ; a column showing the probable size of families of recent marriages has, however, been added : — Occupations. Children to a Family. Earlier Marriages. Recent Marriages. Agricultural Pastoral and Dairying .. Industrial Mining Domestic Commercial Transport (sea and land) Professional 5-1 43 3-9 3 '9 3-6 3'6 3-5 3 3 The demand for labour in agricultural as well as in pastoral and dairy-farming pursuits is constant, and it has always happened in Australia that where there is a demand for labour there is a demand for children, and when there is such demand, children are born. Por the purposes of the table some of the groups are unsatisfactory, as they comprise persons living under absolutely different social and material conditions. Included in industrial pursuits are the manufacturers and employers as well as the manual workers ; and in the commercial class are the great bankers and traders, as well as their clerks, storemen, and labourers. Under the heading of transport are railway employees and seamen as well as persons engaged in other forms of land carriage. It is very probable that, if a separation could be made, it would be found that the higher ranks in each class approach more nearly in the number of their children to the professional than to the class in which they are actually included. 22 Numbrr or Children to a Marriage. It has been usual amongst statisticians to estimate the number of children born to a marriage by an empirical formula, based on the results of the Swedish observations. To arrive at an average, the number of legitimate births in a given year is divided by the number_ of marriages contracted in a twelvemonth six years previously, the interval between the mean age of marriage and the mean age of mothers corresponding to that period. This rule cannot, however, be applied to New South Wales or to Australia generally, where the marriage rate has declined during the past ten years from 7-83 to 6-41 per thousand of the total population. For New South Wales, the, number of offspring to a marriage can be directly ascertained from the registration of deaths, as the offspring of every person who dies are enumerated in the record of his or her death. The number can also be ascertained indirectly from the registrations of births. Elsewhere in this paper will be found the probability of a birth to married women of different ages, and by using these figures and a joint life table the probable number of children to a marriage can be ascertained. The detailed figures of these computations will be found in Appendix G. The great bulk of the population contract only one marriage. The percentage of re-marriage is, for men 7-52, and for women 7-46. The average number of children born to each man who marries, including second, third, etc., marriages, is about 0'18 in excess of the number to each woman ; the difference being due to the fact that there are more women who become mothers than men who become fathers. As might be supposed, the age of the woman at marriage is the chief factor in determining the number of her children, the younger the age the more numerous the offspring, and this rule appears to hold even where the woman marries at an immature age. The following table gives the average births to women marrying at ages from 20 years to 50 years ; outside these limits the information is not full enough to ensure a proper average. Two sets of figures are given, one from the death registers, herein termed earlier marriages, as the occurrence of these marriages was about thirty-one years ago ; and the other for women of recent marriage. For the earlier marriages the average number of children is 5'31, but for recent marriages only 4'04, showing a decline of 1 '27. The table shows the effect upon the constitution of families which the restriction to conception disclosed by previous tables has brought about. The decline in the actual number of children born increases from the younger ages to a maximum at age 27 years, at which year there has been a decrease from 4-25 to 2-99 children per family, representing 1-26 less children per hundred families than for- merly. Looking at the decline as a matter of ratio, the table shows that with the increasing age at marriage there has been an augmented decline in the proportion of children per family, for the number of children from recent marriages is now less than those born to earlier 23 marriages at age 20 by 15 per cent., at age 25 by 25 per cent., at age 30 by 35 per cent., at age 35 by 41 per cent., at age 40 by 60 per cent., and so on. Table VII. — Average number of children born to women marrying at the undermentioned ages : — Til- 3d;, Average Number of Children to Average Number of Children to \o each Marriage. Age at each Marriage. Age at' Ascertained Ascertained Marriage. from Deaths of Computed from Marriage. from Deaths of Computed from MarriedWomen, Records of Births. MarriedWomen, Records of Births. 1893-98. 1893-98. Earlier Recent Earlier Recent Marriages. Marriages. Marriages. Marriages. 16 7-24 ' 33 2-48 1-524 17 6-99 671 6-42 6-15 34 35 36 37 2-20 1-92 1-71 1-50 1-323 18 1-132 19 ■956 20 5-267 •790 21 5 '88 4930 38 1-30 ■639 22 5-61 4-584 39 1-10 ■502 23 5-34 4-244 40 •96 •387 24 5-07 3-913 41 ■82 •287 25 4-80 3-596 42 •61 •206 26 4 53 3-288 43 •40 •143 27 4-25 2-992 44 •29 •095 28 396 2-714 45 •18 •060 29 366 2-450 46 ■13 •035 30 3 36 2-J99 47 •08 •019 31 3-07 1-962 48 •04 ■009 32 2-78 1-736 49 •004 It will be seen that the chances are now against a child being born to a woman who marries after attaining the age of 36 years, which is four years earlier than appears to have been the case some years ago. Women who marry after age 30 cannot expect more than two children, and after age 26 more than three children. It should be borne in mind, however, that the averages given above include barren women, and that the number of such women has largely increased. Including only fertile women, it will be found that the number of children per family is still much less than was formerly the case. The following are the averages for the ages stated : — Age. Earlier Marriages. Recent Marriages. 23 5-8 5-3 27 4-6 3-7 32 3 3 2-5 37 . 2-3 1-5 42 1-4 1-0 24 The statistics of the last six years (1893-98) show that as many as 29 children have been born to the same father and 21 to the same mother. Particulars in regard to 17,738 married men were obtained, with the following results : — Number of Children. Number of Deaths of men ascertained to have been married. Proportion per 1,000 Married Men. 2,167 122-17 1 1,414 79-72 2 1,494 84-23 3 1,485 83-72 4 1,446 81-52 5 1,441 81-24 6 1,413 79-66 7 1,385 78-08 8 1,343 75-71 9 1,095 61-73 10 1,029 58-01 11 787 44-37 12 536 30-22 13 315 17-76 14 182 10-26 15 94 5-30 16 48 2-70 over 16 64 3-60 Total ... 17,738 1,000-00 Similarly in regard to 16,183 married women :- Number of Children. Number of Deaths of Women ascertained to have been married. Proportion per 1,000 Married Women. 1,870 115-55 1 1,463 90-40 2 1,356 83-79 3 1,326 81-94 4 1,412 87-25 5 1,392 86-02 6 1,373 84-84 7 1,284 79-34 8 1,276 78-85 9 1,016 62-78 10 840 51-91 11 612 37-82 12 453 27-99 13 266 16-44 14 124 7-66 15 54 3-34 Over 15 66 4-08 Total ... 16,183 1,000-00 25 Considered from the standpoint of public polity, the decline in the birth-rate is an extremely serious matter. If the inflow of population from outside Australasia, which is at present very slight, were to cease altogether, the birth and death rates would probably adjust themselves as follows : — Birth-rate 2-84 per hundred of the population. Death-rate 126 „ ,, „ ,, Natural increase 1-68 ,, „ ,, ,, Ten years ago the natural increase for New South Wales was 2 -26 per cent., and thirty years ago 2-47 per cent. Part of this decline is natural, and due to the cessation of the immigration of young married women, but for the past ten years the population has been in a normal condition, and the decline in the natural increase is due to the precau- tion taken against the birth of children. Nor is the phenomenon confined to New South "Wales alone of the Australasian colonies, for the records show that it is common to all members of the group. The rates for the four eastern colonies since 1861 were as shown in the following statement. The proportions are for married women under 50 years of age. • Year. New South Wales. Victoria. Queensland. New Zealand. per cent. per cent. per cent. per cen . 1861 30 61 28-54 1871 3012 26-97 1881 29-74 25-20 28-80 28-16 1891 26 '39 26-51 29-45 23-86 1898 20-12 19-30 20 80 21-42 An examination of the rates for the years between 1891 and 1898 shows that the decline has been persistent and regular, so that it is even probable that minimum rates have not yet been reached ; on the contrary, a further decline must be looked for in some of the provinces, if not in all. The tendency to restrict the birth-rate is a very common feature of the social condition of old countries ; but the extension of this phenomenon to new countries where population is so much desired is a matter claiming the deepest attention. Fiest Births. The discussion of the phenomena attending first births is greatly affected by the circumstance that nearly one-third (32-3 per cent.) of all first births are due to pre-nuptial conception. During the six years, 1893 to 1898, there were registered in New South Wales 41,384 legiti- matefirst births, and of these, 13,366 occurred within nine months of the 26 marriage of the parents, and are therefore of pre-nuptial conception, with the exception of a small number born seven months after marriage. The proportion of these seven-months' children is so small that their exclusion from the number of those post-nuptially conceived will not affect, in any appreciable degree, the conclusions hereafter arrived at. It has already been shown that the probability of a marriage proving fertile rapidly declines after a woman has attained the age of 30 years; but where a marriage proves fertile, as the following table shows, the period elapsing from marriage to the birth of the first child of post- nuptial conception averages the same for all women marrying at ages below 40 years. This average period is 19-4 months, ranging between 18-3 and 21-5 months. Table VIII. — Average period from Marriage to Birth of first Child. (Post-nuptial conception only.) Age of Mother. Birth after Marriage. Age of Mother. Birth after Marriage. years. months. years. months. 17 • 18 * 19-7 29 1S-6 19-6 30 20-8 19 19-0 31 21-5 20 190 32 20-1 21 19-4 33 19-7 22 19-3 34 18-5 23 18-7 35 21-4 24 19-5 36 21-9 25 20-2 37 18-3 26 19-8 38 18-9 27 19-4 39 199 28 18-4 Although the average period elapsing from marriage to the birth of the first child is fairly regular for all ages, the times vary with individuals from 9 months to 22 years. The following table shows the period elapsing between marriage and the birth of a first child for all women whose first confinement took place in the years 1893-98. The figures are arranged in months up to the 23rd month, and beyond that in years. They require adjusting, however, before they can be used for comparative purposes, by reason of the fact that the population of the colony has not been stationary during the period between the date of the earliest and the latest marriages, the births due to which are therein recorded. For instance, the table shows that there were 12 females who gave birth to their first child 13' years after marriage. Thirteen years from the mean period under review was the year 1882, and in that year there were only 6,948 marriages, compared with 8,274, the present mean rate (1893-98). The number 12 should, therefore, be multiplied by £-§- Jf to place the year 1882 on a proper comparative basis with 1893-98; the value thus obtained is 14. All years beyond 2 7 the sixth should be similarly dealt with, and they have been so adjusted in the following table (column 4) : — Table IX. — Number of Births of First Children of post-nuptial concep- tion, with times elapsing since marriage, 1893-98. S"^ ^ r f Period from Marriage to Birth of First Child, -daoq Number of First Children born in six years (1893-98). Rates to adjust Figures in preceding column to allow for Increase in Marriages. Adjusted Figures. (1.) (2.) 4,562 4,407 3,078 2,281 1,670 1,339 1,158 953 749 659 587 540 488 424 381 2,535 928 453 256 158 107 76 69 44 34 30 12 13 11 6 5 2 1 2 (3.) No adjustment. »» JJ J» )) )) )> it i> )> 3> )3 1-099 1-055 1-090 1-059 1-086 1-106 1-117 1-191 1-317 1-485 1-535 1-556 1-657 1-797 1-887 (4.) 4,562 10 „ 4,407 11 3,078 12 2,281 13 „ 1,670 14 , 1,339 15 „ 1,158 16 „ 953 17 „ 749 18 , 659 19 „ 587 20 „ 540 21 „ 488 22 „ 424 23 „ 381 2,535 928 453 3 „ „ 4 4 „ „ 5 5 „ „ 6 6 „ „ 7 7 „ „ 8..; 256 174 113 8 „ „ 9 9 „ „ 10 83 73 10 „ „ 11 48 11 ,, „ 12 38 12 „ „ 13 34 13 „ „ 14 14 14 „ ,, 15 17 15 „ „ 16 16 16 „ ,, 17 9 17 „ „ 18 8 18 „ „ 19 3 20 „ „ 21 2 22 „ „ 23 4 Total 28,018 28,084 The marriages during the six years numbered 49,641 ; but of these 13,366 were attended with ante-nuptial conception, leaving 36,275 " unprejudiced " marriages, and to these marriages the table shows that '28,084 first children were born. For convenience sake the figures in column (4) have been raised to the basis of 10,000 marriages, and the particulars are given in Table X. The results are shown up to the -28 thirty-fifth month as well as for each year, commencing with the third. The values for the months between the twenty-third and the thirty-fifth have been calculated and interpolated. Table X. — First Births of post-nuptial conception per 10,000 marriages. Number of Births. First Births to end of each period. Per cent, of Total Births. Date of Birth after Marriage. Number of Births. First Births to end of ; each period. Per cent, of Total Births. 1,258 1,215 848 629 460 369 319 263 207 182 162 149 135 117 105 )) j> >» s 4-6 7 „ „ „ 5-9 6 „ „ „ ■. 7-9 5 „ „ „ 10-7 4 „ „ , 15-1 3 „ „ „ 229 2 „ „ „ 38-2 1 „ „ ,. 66-9 The probability of any marriage not prejudiced by ante-nuptial con- summation proving fruitful is 77 - 4 per cent, and the probability of an unfruitful marriage 22-6 per cent. ; while the probability of all marriages, whether attended with ante-nuptial conception or not, is 83 '5 per cent., making the actual number of unfruitful marriages 16'5 per cent. Effect op Postponement of Makriage on Fertility. One aspect of the question of the effect of postponement of marriage upon the child-bearing of a woman has already been touched upon, and Tables III and IV show there is a rapid decline in the fertility of marriages as the age of the woman at marriage advances. But as between persons of the same age, the absolute superiority of the woman who has already borne children compared with the newly married can only be asserted for ages over 30. If reference be made to Diagram A, it will be seen that there are shown thereon three curves relating to probabilities of a birth within twelve months — (a) amongst all wives, (6) amongst women who have not already borne children, and (c) amongst women who have already borne children. Curve (a) is the same as that shown on Diagram 0, and at first sight it might be thought that it ought to run between the other curves ; but as it represents the probability for all married women, including those who are barren, and in respect of whom there is, of course, no real probability, it is not necessarily comparable with curve (c), which includes only women who have borne children and who may yet again bear. 3i Curve (b) represents the ratio of first births to marriages, excluding from each the number attended with ante-nuptial conception ; and the following table shows how the ratios have been arrived at : — Table XII.— Probability of First Births from 9 to 12 months after Marriage. Mean Annual • Probability of Age Group. Mean Annual Births from 9 to Ante-nuptial Column (2), less Births from 9 to Marriages. 12 months Conceptions. Column (4). 12 months after Marriage. after Marriage. = Col..3. (1.) (2-) (3.) (1.) (5.) Col. 5. 16 and under 21... 2,082 436 968 1,114 39-14 21 „ 25... 3,370 828 889 2,481 33-37 25 ,, 30... 1,981 528 353 1,628 32-43 30 „ 35... 646 135 89 557 24-24 35 „ 40... 331 33 39 292 11-30 40 „ 45 .. 140 5 8 132 3-79 45 „ 50... 78 78 o-oo The values ot curve (c) are derived from the data already used in the tables relating to the decline in the birth-rate. These tables show the number of married women, and the number of children borne by them : thus, for age group 18 and under 21, there were 5,388 married women (see Appendix B), of whom 3,460 had borne » child; so that the latter figure represents the number of married women within the group to whom other than a first birth was possible. The number of such births was 595; so that the probability of a woman between these ages having another child within a year is -3*4%, or 17-20 per cent. Proceeding similarly for the other age groups, the following results are established: — Table XIII. — Probability of another birth to Married Women of various ages. Ages of Mothers. Number who have already borne. Annual number of births other than first. Probability of having another child within 12 months. 3,460 595 17-20 21 „ 25 15,156 4,024 26-55 25 , 30 29,392 8,383 28-52 30 , 35 29,406 7,821 26-60 35 , 40 22,918 5,543 2419 40 , 45 17,642 2,071 11-74 45 , 50. 13,973 224 1-60 A comparison of the curves (Diagram A) shows that for the earlier ages the probability of a woman just marrying having her first child between the ninth and twelfth month after marriage is greater than 3 2 that of a woman of the same age who has had previous issue having another child within twelve months, the probability being twice as great at age 20, the first year included in the diagram. This statement, however, requires qualification. The expectation of a woman, who has already had a child, bearing another within a year is, at age 20, only 20 per hundred mothers, rising to a little over 28 per hundred at age 28, then falling as the age increases. It is not to be supposed that women of 20 to 27 years of age show less fecundity than women of 28 years, on the contrary, the curve relating to newly-married women, shows that they are more fecund than their seniors, and the explanation of the anomaly is, that there are a large number of mothers of ages below 28 who have recently given birth to children, while the number of such women over 28 years of age is proportionately much smaller. Accepting the figures as they happen to work out, it will be seen that the curves of probability for the newly married and for women who have already had previous issue, continually approach each other until they intersect between ages 30 and 31. At and beyond age 31 the probabilities are reversed, and at age 38 the probability of a newly-married woman having a child under the conditions named is less than half that of a woman with previous issue. It would thus appear that the reproductive system if unused is apt to become inoperative, as it cannot be supposed that prevention is practised more amongst women newly married than amongst those who have already had experience of the troubles of ■ maternity. Birth-rate to Couples of Various Ages. The following information relating to the probability of a child being born to couples of given ages is founded on the births registered in the five years 1893-97, the relative numbers of husbands and wives of each age for the mean of this period being obtained by raising the numbers ascertained at the census of 1891 proportionately to the total increase of population, viz., by multiplying by the constant 1*117, a proper adjustment being made for wives and husbands separated at the time of the census. The total births are shown in Appendix A, and the number of couples of various ages in Appendix B. The ratios of the various groups of the one table to the corresponding groups of the other table would, of course, give the probabilities of a birth during the year to parents of the tabulated ages ; but the proba- bilities thus arrived at would include the births of ante-nuptial concep- tion, and these being far more numerous amongst the younger ages of women would tend to exaggerate the fertility of those ages. In order to remove this element, the cases of ante-nuptial conception have been subtracted both from the number of parents and from the births and the ratios instituted between these reduced values. In this way the annual natality shown in Appendices C and D was derived. The results of Appendix . C were then curved (Diagrams B and C), and from the curves the corrected natality (Table XIV) given below was deduced. 33 Monogenous Natality. The husbands under 20 years of age numbered only 84, and as reliable deductions cannot be made from so small an experience the following table commences with the annual natality for husbands of age 21. u , Table XIV. — Annual Natality per 100 Husbands or Wives. HUSBANDS. WIVES. Ages. Annual Natality per 100. Ages. Annual Natality per 100. Ages. Annual Natality per 100. Ages. Annual Natality per 100. 21 31-8 46 13-7 18 24'0 35 23-7 22 315 47 12-4 19 26-6 36 23 3 23 31-1 48 112 20 28-5 37 22-6 24 30-4 49 103 21 29-5 38 21-0 25 29 '7 50 9-6 22 30-0 39 19 26 29-2 51 9 23 301 40 17-0 27 28-6 52 8-5 24 29-7 41 14-4 28 28-2 53 7 9 25 29-2 42 12-0 29 27-9 54 76 26 28-7 43 9-5 30 27-6 55 7-3 27 28-2 44 7'5 31 27-4 56 6-8 28 27-5 45 5-6 32 27-1 57 6-5 29 27-0 46 40 33 26-8 58 6-4 30 26-4 47 23 34 26-4 59 6-1 31 25-8 48 14 35 26-0 60 5-8 32 25-4 49 8 36 25-4 61 5'6 33 24-7 50 05 37 24-8 62 5-4 34 24 '2 38 24-2 63 5 2 39 23-2 64 5 40 220 65 49 41 20-7 66 4-7 42 19-5 67 4-5 43 18-2 68 43 44 16-7 69 4-2 45 15-3 70 4 34 The figures relating to husbands present no peculiar features. The lowest age is that of the greatest natality, the fall in the proportions being fairly regular from year to year, until between the thirty-fifth and fortieth year it becomes more rapid. This lessening in the rates at the time mentioned cannot altogether be ascribed to failure on the part of the males ; it is coincident with a fall in the female natality and is mainly traceable to that cause. Nevertheless there is a decided weakening in the fertility of males as the period of middle age is entered upon. This will be clearly seen by referring to Diagram D, which illustrates the probability of a birth to women of uniform ages with husbands at various stages of life. The natality of wives increases from the lowest age (18 years), and attains its maximum at age 23, when it immediately begins to decline, and continues to do so with increasing rapidity as the limits of child- bearing are approached. Age 37 marks the nearness of the grand climacteric. Up to that year the birth rate of wives which has been gradually declining now suffers so complete a change as to warrant the supposition that a large number of women reach the limit of their child- bearing period even thus early. Natality statistics have been much neglected, and there are few countries with which the New South Wales rates can be compared; and even where there are statistics available, comparisons fail in their chief interest, because the inportance of births due to ante-nuptial conception has been overlooked. The distinguished statistician Korosi has published statistics of the natality of Budapest, and a, comparison with the New South Wales figures is of great interest. Taking the husbands' natality first, it is found that in New South Wales the maximum generative power is at the youngest age tabulated, viz., 31'8 per cent, at age 21 years, whilst the Budapest statistics show the maximum at age 26, the rate being 35 "3 per cent. The Budapest table starts at age 23 with a natality rate of 33 per cent., rising to a maximum of 35 '3 at age 26, and falling off to 0'5 per cent, at age 64, the oldest tabulated age. In the New South Wales table, the corresponding percentages are — for age 23 years, 31"1 per cent. ; for age 26 years, 29-2; and at age 64 years, 5-0 per cent. Although between the ages 24 and 32 the Budapest natality rate is higher than that of New South Wales, yet beyond that age the latter far exceeds the former, the New South Wales natality rate at age 70 (4'0 per cent.) being higher than the Budapest rate at age 52. The husbands' fertility is greater, and much longer sustained, than in Budapest. Referring to the wives' natality, there are such great differences between the results of the two series of statistics as to warrant the assumption that the births of ante-nuptial conception have not been withdrawn from the investigation. Thus, at age 18, the Budapest natality is 40'0 per cent., while the New South Wales rate is only 24-0 per cent. ; but had no 35 adjustment been made for ante-nuptial conception, the latter would have been 36-7 per cent. The following table illustrates these differences at the younger ages : — ■ t h>, .0'' , Budapest natality — Wives. New South Wales natality — Wives. Age. Unadjusted for ante-nuptial conceptions. Adjusted. 18 40-0 36-7 24 '0 19 40'3 £5-9 26-6 20 39-7 35 28-5 21 38-5 34 3 29-5 22 37-2 33 o 30-0 23 35 3 32-8 301 24 33-4 31-9 29-7 25 31-6 31-2 29-2 26 301 30 1 287 27 28-9 29-0 28-2 28 27-6 28-2 27-5 29 25 9 27-4 27 '0 30 24-0 26-7 26-4 31 22-3 26-1 25-8 32 20-9 25 -6 25 '4 33 19-6 250 24-7 34 18-2 24-4 24-2 35 17'0 23-9 23-7 It- will thus be seen that at the younger ages the Budapest results are much higher than the adjusted figures of New South Wales, but very nearly equal to the unadjusted ; and this confirms the opinion that the Budapest figures have not been adjusted for ante-nuptial conception. From age 28 the New South "Wales figures, even after adjustment, begin to exceed the Budapest, the difference increasing as the ages of the wives increase. It is thus plain that the fertility of the wives, as well as of the husbands, of New South Wales is much higher and longer sustained than those of Budapest. The necessity for adjustment on account of ante-nuptial conception may easily be overlooked, but its importance will appear from the following example of women between the ages of 20 and 25. There are 22,717 of such wives in New South Wales, to whom there were born 36 during one year 7,649 children. The probability of a birth to one such . wife would therefore be ■££?& =- '337, if there were no such thing as ante-nuptial intercourse. But more than 29 per cent, of the marriages, amongst women of these ages is preceded by conception, and the proba- bility of a birth to such marriages is therefore unity. The probability derived above (-337) is the average of all the married at the age speci- fied, whether conception anticipated or succeeded marriage ; and it would clearly be wrong to say that the probability of a birth to ,a woman aged between 20 and 25 years, just marrying, and with whom conception had not taken place, would be -337. In the present case the number of women between 20 and 25 to whom children were born within nine months of marriage is 1,139. If, therefore, 1,139 be sub- tracted from the number of wives, and also from the number of births, the ratio of the latter to the former will give the true probability in the case of an unprejudiced marriage. Thus, '"' ~ 1 - 1 - 3 - 9 = 2 g 1 'V ; 8 = '302. the true probability. Bigenous Natality. The numbers of the married of each sex under 20 years of age are too small to permit of their being dealt with bigenously. The joint- birth table on page 38, therefore, begins with wives at age 20, and husbands, aged 22. The results of the investigation permit of the following conclusions being drawn : First, that husbands up to the age of 47 have the greater chance of becoming fathers the younger the wives (23 years of age, however, being the minimum age limit in regard to which it is possible to speak with certainty). Husbands between 47 and 65 have also the greatest chance with the younger wives ; but information in regard to such husbands is available only for those with wives of 28 years of age and upwards. Secondly, that wives up to the age of 35 have the greater chance of becoming mothers the younger the husband, although with husbands between the ages of 28 and 36 the chance is practically the same. Wives from age 35 up to the limit of child-bearing age have the greatest chance with husbands of their own age. From Korosi's investigation into the natality statistics of the chief Hungarian city, Mr. F. Galton deduced the law that there is a constant number from which, if the united ages of the parents be subtracted, the difference approximates to the number per cent, of parents to whom children will be born during one year; but the present investigation shows that Galton's law does not hold in New South Wales, nor does any analogous law obtain. The general law governing natality is undoubtedly that, with one exception, the younger the parents the greater the probability of a birth. The exception is with wives approach- ing and at the limit of child-bearing age. A woman about the limit of child-bearing possesses a greater chance of becoming a mother with a husband of or about her own age. In the case of a woman whose age 37 is between 40 and 45, the annual natality per cent, with a husband of between 25 and 30 is 10, whilst with a husband of between 40 and 45 it is 12 - 7 per cent., declining rapidly, until with a husband whose age is between 65 and 70 it is only 4-3 per cent. Similarly, though more strongly accentuated in the case of wives between 45 and 50, with husbands between 30 and 35 the rate is l - 3 per cent., rising to 1*9 with husbands of 45-50, and declining to 0-9 per cent, with husbands of 65-70. 'Table XV gives the probability of a child being born to couples of various ages, and the subject is further illustrated by two diagrams. One (Diagram D) shows the number of children who will be born to wives of each year of age from 20 to 47 with husbands of different ages, and the other (Diagram E) shows what Korosi calls isogens or equal natality of joint ages. The diagrams show how much less important is the age of the father than that of the mother, and present many other inter- esting features which are sufficiently obvious as to need no comment. All the isogens tend to curve upwards ; but there are, nevertheless, long periods when the lines follow the wife's age with very little upward or downward variation. The same birth-rate prevails for mothers aged 27, whether the father's age is 30 or 36 years ; for mothers aged 30 with fathers of 29 or 35 ; for mothers aged 36 with fathers of 27 or 39 years,. — and so on with other ages of mothers. On the other hand, there is a remarkable change in the direction of the isogens at ages of fathers from 39 to 46 years ; and it would seem that with mothers under 38 years of age, the probability of a birth is influenced as much by the father as by the mother — the older the father the younger must be the mother to obtain equal natality rates. The less importance of the age of the father than that of the mother has been mentioned more than once, but even this statement must be taken with qualification. If Diagram D be referred to, it will be seen that for wives up to the age of 37 years, the lines indicating the pro- bability of a birth to women of each age, with fathers of various ages, fall rapidly from the youngest age of father to a point between ages 25 and 30, then remain fairly horizontal for a somewhat lengthy period, but fall away rapidly from somewhere about age 40 (of husbands). This disposition is common, to the natality lines of all ages of wives, and undoubtedly indicates a failure of fertility on the part of husbands when they reach their fortieth year. Two examples will suffice to illustrate the whole series of wife's curves. For wives aged 23 years the curve begins with husbands of 22 years with a birth-rate per hundred couples of 32 ; at age 27 (husbands) the birth-rate is reduced to 29'5, and for eleven years remains almost unchanged; for at age 38 (husbands) it is still 29 per cent., after which it rapidly declines. "With wives 28 years of age the curve begins with a birth-rate of 31 '6 per cent, at age 22 (husbands), and falls away to 27-8 per cent, at age 28 (husbands) ; for ten years the rate lies between 27 and 27'8 per cent., but after age 38 (husbands) it rapidly falls away. 38 Table XV.— Probability of a Birth to Couples i vh'O AGEO ° i bLta w 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 *| m 22 29-9 30-9 31-6 32-0 32-1 32-1 32-1 32 316 31-0 30-3 29-5 ! 28-7 23 29-1 30 '2 31-1 31-5 314 31-4 31-3 31-1 30-8 30-2 29-6 28-9 28-2 24 28-3 29-5 30-5 30-9 30-7 30-7 30-5 30 3 29-9 29-4 28-9 28-2 27-6 : 25' 27-6 28-9 29 9 30-3 30-2 30-0 29-8 29-5 29-2 28-7 28-3 27-7 27 '2 26 27-1 28-4 29-5 29-9 29-7 29-5 29-2 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-7 27-3 26-8 27 26-6 28-0 291 29-5 29-3 29-0 28-7 28-3 28-0 27-6 27-3 26-9 26-5 251 28 26-4 27-9 29-0 29-4 29-1 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-1 26-7 26-4 2511 29 26-5 27-9 29-0 29-4 29'1 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-0 26-7 26-3 25') 30 26-5 27-8 29-0 29-4 29-1 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-0 26-7 26-3 25-8 31 266 28-0 29-0 29-4 29-1 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-0 26-7 26-3 251 32 267 28-0 29-0 29-4 29-1 28-8 28-5 28-1 27-8 27'4 27-0 26-7 26-3 251 33 29-4 29-1 28-7 28-4 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-0 26-6 26-3 251 34 29 3 29-0 28-7 28-4 28-1 27-8 27-4 27-0 26-6 26-2 251 35 29-2 28-9 28-6 28-3 28-0 27-7 27-3 26-9 26-5 26-2 251 36 29-2 28-9 28-6 28-3 28-0 27-7 27-3 26-9 26-5 26-1 251 37 29'1 28-8 28-5 28-2 27-9 27-6 27-2 26-8 26-4 26-1 251 38 29-0 28-7 28 3 28-1 27-7 27-4 27-0 26 6 26 2 25-8 251 39 28-9 28-5 28-1 27-8 27-3 26-9 26-6 26-1 25-7 25 -4 251 40 28-7 28-3 27-7 27-3 26-8 26-4 26-0 25-6 25-2 24-9 241 41 28-7 28-1 27-5 26-9 263 25-8 25-4 25-1 24-7 24'4 241 42 28-5 27-9 27-1 26-5 25-8 25-3 24-8 24-5 24-2 239 231 43 ■28-0 27-3 26-6 25 9 25-2 24-6 24-2 23-9 23 6 23-3 231 44 27-1 26-4 25-8 25-1 24-4 23 9 23-5 23-2 22-9 22-6 22'4 45 26-2 25-6 25-0 24-3 23 7 23-2 22-7 90 -4 22-1 21-9 211 46 25-2 24-6 24-1 23 5 23 22-5 22-0 21-7 21-4 21 -2 211 47 24-1 23 6 23-2 22-7 22-2 21-8 213 21-0 20-7 20'5 2* 48 21-1 20-8 20-5 20-2 19-9 191 49 20-7 20-4 20-1 199 19-7 191 50 20 '4 20-1 199 19-7 19-5 19'! 51 20-0 198 19-7 19-5 19-3 191 52 19-7 19-6 195 19 3 19 ■! 181 53 181 54 181 55 1* 56 18! 57 . 1811 58 59 ... 60 61 62 ... 63 ... 64 ... 65 39 ^Various Ages. (Yearly Birth Kate per 100 Couples.) 'WIFE. T3 "31 ! 34 :85 36 37 88 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 ; I ... 22 23 24 25 S25-3 24-6 23-9 23 : 2 .*. ... 26 27 28 te-3 24-6 23 9 23-2 fe5-2 24-6 23 9 23 2 29 30 31 S3 -2 24-6 23-9 23 2 25-2 24-6 23-9 23 3 25-2 24-6 240 23-4 22-2 20-1 17-6 15 : 6 i2-i 32 25-2 24-6 24-0 23-5 22-3 20-3 17-9 15-2 12-3 33 25-2 24-6 24-1 23 6 22-5 20-5 18-2 15-6 12-6 34 25-2 24-7 24-2 23-7 22-7 20-8 18-5 15-9 12-9 35 25-2 24-8 24-3 23-9 22-9 21-0 18-8 16-2 13 2 36 25-2 24-9 24-5 24-1 231 21-3 19 '0 16 -4 134 10 : 6 8-4 6-3 4.4 2-4 1-2 0"9 37 25-1 24-7 24-4 24-1 23 2 21-4 19-2 16-6 13-6 10'8 8-5 6-5 4-5 2-5 1-2 0-9 38 24-8 24-4 24-1 23-9 23-0 21-3 19-1 16-7 13-8 11-0 8-7 6'7 4-6 26 1-3 0-9 39 24-4 24-1 23-8 236 22-8 21-1 19-1 16-7 13-9 11-1 8-8 6-8 4-7 2-7 1-3 09 40 23-9 23-7 235 23 3 22-4 20-9 19 16-7 14-0 11-3 9-0 6-8 4-7 2-7 1-4 1-0 41 235 23 3 23-1 22-9 22-1 20-7 18-9 i'6-7 14-1 11-4 9-1 7-0 4-8 2-8 1-4 1-0 42 22-9 22-7 22-5 22-4 21-7 20-2 18-5 16-4 13-9 11-3 9-1 6-9 4-8 2-8 1-4 10 43 22-2 22-1 21-9 21-8 21-1 19-6 17-7 15-7 133 10-9 8-8 6-7 4-7 2'8 1-5 1-1 44 21-5 21-4 21-3 21-2 20-5 18-9 17-0 15-0 12-8 10-5 8-5 6-5 4-6 2-8 1-6 1-1 45 20-8 20-8 20-7 20-6 19-8 18-2 162 14-2 12-1 10-0 8-1 6-3 4-5 27 1-6 1-2 46 20-2 20-1 20-0 19-9 19-2 17-5 15-5 13-5 11-5 9-5 7-7 6-1 4-4 2-7 1-7 1-2 47 19 -6 19-5 19'4 19-4 18-7 17-0 15'1 131 112 9 3 7-5 5 9 4-2 2-6 1-6 11 48 [9-3 19-2 19 18-9 18-2 16-6 14-8 12-9 11-1 9-2 7-4 5-8 4-1 2-5 1-4 1-0 49 91 18'9 18-7 18-6 17-9 163 14-6 12-8 10-9 9-1 7-3 5-7 4-0 2-4 1-3 9 50 8-9 18-6 18-5 183 17-5 16-0 14-4 12-7 109 9-1 7-3 5-6 3-9 2-3 1-2 0-9 51 8-7 18-4 18-2 18-0 172 15-8 14-2 12-5 10-8 9-0 7-2 5 '5 a -8 2-2 1-1 0-8 52 8'6 18-4 18-1 17-9 17-1 15-6 14-0 12-3 10-6 8-8 7-1 5-4 3-7 2-2 1-1 0-8 53 8-6 18-3 18-1 17-8 17-0 15-5 13-8 12'0 10-2 8-5 6-8 52 3-6 2-2 1-1 0-8 54 8-5 18-2 18-0 17-7 16-8 15-2 13-5 11-7 9 9 8-1 6-5 5-0 34 2-0 1-1 0-8 55 8-5 18-2 18-0 17-7 16-8 15-1 13-4 11-5 9-5 7-8 6-2 4-8 3-3 2-0 l-l 3-8 56 8-5 18-2 17-9 17-6 16-7 15-0 13-1 11-2 9-2 7-5 6-0 4-6 3 2 1-9 1-1 D-8 57 16-3 14-6 12-7 10-8 8-8 7-1 5-6 4-3 . 3-1 1-8 l-l 3'7 58 ... .«.. ... 15-8 14-0 12-2 10-3 8-3 6-7 5 3 4-1 ! 2-9 P8 L'O )-7 59 ... 15-3 13-5 11-7 9-8 7-8 6-3 50 39 < 2-8 1-7 1-0 3-6 60 14-8 12-9 11-2 9-3 7 "4 5-9 4-7 37 5 2-6 1-6 1 )-9 )-6 61 14-1 12-3 106 8-8 7-0 5-6 5-2 4-9 4-4 4-2 4-0 3-5 i 33 '. 3-1 i 2-5 23 J-2 1-5 ( 1-5 ( 1-3 ( )-9 )-9 ( )-8 ( )-6 )-6 )-5 62 63 64 ... ... " 4-6 3 8 3-0 £ M ] •3 ( )'8 0'5 65 4 o Ante-nuptial Conception and Illegitimacy. The following statistics may not appear creditable to the colony of New South Wales, but it is to be feared that if like information were available for other countries they would make no better display ; for comparing the illegitimacy rate of New South Wales with the rates of the United Kingdom and other countries the following results are obtained : — Percentage of Illegitimate to total Births. England and Wales... 4-24 France 8"65 Ireland 2-63 Prussia 7"66 . Scotland 7"29 Austria 14-66 New South Wales ... 6-45, Sweden 10-35, The method of registration in force does not admit of information being obtained in regard to previous issue of women who have had illegitimate children ; so that, for the purpose of the following compari- sons, illegitimate births are assumed to be first births ; but though, as will presently be shown, there are undoubted reasons for saying that this is not true in many cases, especially at the later ages, the assumption that it is true does not greatly affect the results arrived at. Counting, then, the illegitimate as first births, there were during the six years, 1893-98 :— Number. Per cent. First births, post-nuptial conception 28,018 49'89 ,, ante-nuptial ,, 13,366 23'80 „ illegitimate „ 14,779 26-31 56,163 100-00 Dividing the figures into age groups, they become singularly interest- ing:— Table XVI. Illegitimate Births. Legitimate Births. Age Group. Number. Per cent, of First Births at each age. Within 9 months of Marriage. 9 Months and Upwards. Number. Per cent, of First Births at each age. Number. Per cent, of First Births at each age. 4,097 5,752 2,558 1,289 807 276 40 62 22-69 19-08 26-73 41-19 50-92 3,421 6,902 2.19S 587 208 50 33-92 27-23 16-40 12-17 10-62 39-85 2,567 12,695 8,649 2,947 944 216 25-46 20 and under 25 years . . . 25 ,, 30 „ .., 30 „ 35 „ ... 35 „ 40 „ 40 and over . 50-08 . 64-52 61-10 48-19 9-23 Totals and averages — all ages. 14,779 26-31 13,366 23-80 28,018 49-89 4i For all ages the number of illegitimate births forms 26-31 per cent, of the first births ; the number of children born within nine months of marriage equals 23 - 80 per cent.; while the number of children born nine months and upwards from date of marriage equals 49 - 89 per cent., or a little less than one-half of the total. Where parties are unmarried, and intercourse resulting in conception takes place between them, it may be presumed that in the case of one or other of the parties there is a desire that the illicit connection should end in marriage ; but from the nature of the case it might be anticipated that the proportion of marriages which follows illicit inter- course would be very irregular. The statistics, however, disclose a surprising regularity, the proportion of marriages taking place after conception has been discovered being as follows : — Percentage of Year. Illegitimate Births. Births within 9 Months of Total Births. Marriages following Con- Marriage. ception to Total Births. 1893 2,486 1,981 4,467 44-3 1894 2,424 2,048 4,472 45-8 1895 2,507 2,226 4,733 47-0 1896 2,432 2,287 4,719 48-5 1897 2,433 2,416 4,849 49-8 1898 2,497 2,408 4,905 ■ 49'1 The proportion of marriages following conception shows an increase ; but this increase has been gradual, and is such as might reasonably be expected from the improved industrial condition which the last three years have witnessed. Equally striking are the results of an analysis of the figures showing the periods by which marriages preceded the births of first children. Table XVII. — Marriages following Ante-nuptial Conception. Period which Marriage preceded Birth of Child. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. Total 1893-8. 1 month and under 2 months 190 190 226 251 257 306 280 281 171 181 272 253 286 284 319 282 249 195 255 265 308 316 318 320 220 219 253 296 315 316 346 322 251 210 270 292 344 360 334 355 253 209 301 300 330 360 352 303 1,334 1,204 1,577 1,657 1,840 1,942 3 „ 4 „ 5 „ 6 , 7 „ 1,949 1,863 8 Total 1,981 2,048 2,226 2,287 2,416 2,408 13,366 42 It may not be out of place here to point out that the number of seven-month children, alluded to on page 26, must be very small indeed. There were 1,942 children in the six years whose birth occurred at six months, 1,949 at seven months, and 1,863 at eight months after the marriage of their parents. There are plausible grounds for supposing that the births of children of ante-nuptial con- ception should be more numerous at six months than at either seven or eight months after marriage, but the same grounds which favour that conclusion would also favour the supposition that the seven- month births should be more numerous than those of eight months. Assuming then that the number of seven-month children is a mean between those of six and eight months, the number of such would be 1,903 instead of 1,949 shown in the Table, so that 46 are the most that can be allowed for seven-month children of -post nuptial conception out of 41,384 first children born during the six years, a figure which does not represent more than one such birth in every 900. There are, however, no proper data to support any definite conclusion on this interesting point. The prospect of a woman being married between conception and the birth of her child is 47 - 5 per cent., a little more or a little less according to the conditions of employment ; but the longer marriage is delayed after conception is found to have taken place the less likelihood is there of its being entered into. The slight increase in the ratio of marriages during the last month preceding childbirth is evidence of the almost despairing pressure brought to bear upon the father before it becomes too late to save the legitimacy of the offspring. The prospect of a woman with child obtaining marriage before the birth of the child depends very much upon her age, as the following figures, deduced from Table XVI, clearly show ; — Table XVIII. Legitimate Births Proportion of within 9 months Legitimate Births Legitimate Births Age Group. after Marriage and within 9 months within 9 months after Illegitimate Births. of Marriage. Marriage, to total Births (Column 2). (!•) (2.) 3.) <*-) per cent. 15 and under 20 years 7,449 3,415 45-8 20 25 12,654 6,902 54-5 25 30 , 4,756 2,198 46 2 30 35 „ 1,876 587 31-3 35 40 „ 1,015 208 20-4 40 45 „ 289 47 16-4 The chance of a young woman of 20 to 25 years obtaining marriage is 54 - 5 per cent., but the percentage drops to 16 - 4 when the woman's age exceeds 40 years. Comparing the illegitimate births with the number of single women in New South Wales between the ages of 15 and 45, the birth rate is found to be 18-05 per cent. At this figure the rate has been almost 43. stationary for some ten years ; but there has been a perceptible increase since 1861. The following figures show how the rates stood for the years indicated : — Number of Single Year. Women 1 5 and under 45 years. Illegitimate Births. Percentage. 1861 29,959 455 1519 1871 46,901 777 16-57 1881 72,375 1,254 17-33 1891 116,801 2,099 17-97 1898 138,310 2,497 18-05 Of 10,000 children born in New South Wales, 5,134 will be males and 4,866 females, being an excess of males of 268, or 5-05 per cent. In no year, so far as observation extends, have the female births, exceeded those of the males. The excess of male births varies from year to year, the smallest excess being 2-08 per cent, in 1875, and the greatest 7-65 in 1889. If the illegitimate births had been excluded, the excess of males over females would have shown a wider range, viz., from. 1-71 per cent, in 1876 to 8-06 per cent, in 1889. It is a peculiar co- incidence that the proportion of males born out of wedlock was abnormally high in 1876, and abnormally low in 1889, while the reverse was the case in regard to legitimate births. There has been, on the whole, a greater range in the proportion of each sex born out of wedlock than is found among the legitimate births ; indeed, in some years, the illegitimate births show a majority of female children. For the last 26 years, the proportion of male to female illegitimate births has ranged between 94-96 per cent, in 1873 to 121.-96 per cent in 1876. Taking the whole of the illegitimate births of thos« years together, the proportion was 103-41 per cent. — which does not differ materially from the general average for all births, viz., 105-85. The influence of the age of parents upon the sex of the offspring is a matter that has been much discussed. In order to ascertain if there were any law to which the occurrence of sex could be referred, the proportions of each sex in every 100 births to parents of every age were tabulated (See Appendix F), and it was ascertained that the- proportion of male births exceeded that of the females at every age, with the following general exceptions : — Where the father's age was 22 years and under, and the mother's age 20 years.. j» >» ~* u >* )» ^1 ,, ■ j, »» ^0 . ,, ,, ,, 22 ,, Where the father was 10 years younger than the mother. Where the father was 20 years.. older than the mother, and the mother's age was over 22 years and. under 33. Where the mother was approaching the limit of the child-bearing period, irrespec- tive of age of father. 44 Tlie number of children born to married couples under the conditions mentioned in the foregoing list of exceptions to the general law is not large, probably not reaching more than 2 per cent, of the total births. The proportion of males in every 100 legitimate births is, on an average, 5142 ; the highest percentage in any age group being 55 '5 for mothers aged 20 with fathers of 42 years — that is to say, for the youngest mothers shown in the table and the oldest age group of fathers married to women of that particular age ; while the lowest proportion of males is found to be 387 for mothers aged 45 years (the oldest female age tabulated) with fathers aged 33 years (the youngest ages for males tabulated in connection with mothers of 45 years). The proportions of male births to women of the specified ages are as given in the aecompanying statement, the same particulars for all ages being as detailed in the Appendix. It should be borne in mind, in con- sidering the figures, that by far the greatest number of births occur amongst mothers below 35 and over 20 years. Table XIX.— Proportion of Male Children out of 100 Births to Parents aged as under. bo < OT Mother's Age. bD < 1 Mother's Age. 3 .a to 20 Yeai-s. 25 Years. 35 Years. 45 Years. 20 Years. 25 Years. 35 Years. 45 Years. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 SI 32 33 *>,! 35 36 37 38 39 40. 41 50-0 50-5 51-0 51-4 51-8 52-0 52-3 52-6 53-0 53-2 53-4 53-7 54-0 54-4 54-6 54 -a 55-0 55-2 55-3 51-3 51-6 51-7 51-9 52-1 52-0 .52-1 52 1 52-1 52-1 52-1 52 2 52-2 52-2 52-2 52-1 52-1 52-1 51-9 50 V 4 50-6 50-6 50 9 51-0 51 512 513 51-4 515 51-5 51-6 51-7 51-8 51-8 38-7 39-5 40-5 41-7 42-6 43 5 44-3 45-0 45-9 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 55-5 51-8 51-6 51-3 50-8 50 '3 49-7 49-4 48-3 47-3 46-2 45-0 51-9 52-0 52-0 52-1 52-1 52-1 52-2 52-2 52-2 52-1 52-3 52-0 46-4 47-0 47-6 48-9 48-5 49-0 49-5 50-0 50-2 50-5 50-8 50-9 50-9 50-8 50-6 50-2 49 6 49-0 48-0 45 To complete the information regarding the influence of age of parents on the sex of offspring the following table has been prepared : — Table XX.— Proportion of Male Children out of 100 Births to Fathers aged as under. 01 Father s Age. ja Father' 3 Age. J- v a 25 Years. 35 Years. 45 Years. 65 Years. 25 Years. 35 Years. 45 Years. 65 Years. 20 51-0 54-0 33 50-9 51 -7 51-9 21 51-2 53-4 34 51-6 52 22 51-3 52-8 35 51-4 52-1 23 51-5 52 2 50-4 36 51-3 52-2 24 516 52-2 50-6 : 37 51-1 52-3 25 51-7 52-2 50 '8 ; 38 50-9 52-5 54-i 26 51-8 52 2 51-0 39 511 52-2 52-0 27 51-9 52-2 51-3 40 51-4 51-9 49-9 28 51-7 52-2 51-5 41 51-7 516 47-8 29 51-6 52-1 51-5 42 52 '0 51-3 477 30 51-4 52 51-6 43 48-2 502 43 6 31 51-3 519 51-7 44 44-4 49 1 41-5 32 51-1 51-8 51-8 45 40-5 48 39-5" The curves deduced from the foregoing tables, with the additional experience of mothers below 20 years and over 45 years, taken from Appendix F, are shown on Diagrams F and G. Plurality at a Birth. During the six years which closed with 1898 there were registered 2,210 cases of legitimate twins, triplets, and quadruplets, representing 1-048 per cent, of all legitimate births, and 100 cases of illegitimate plural births. The numbers are small, and under general circum- stances it would be unscientific to attempt to deduce any general law therefrom ; but the results are so well defined as to point clearly to the fact that the age of the parents is the chief determining factor in plural births. Whatever part heredity may play in marking out those who are liable to give birth to twins or triplets, it is clear that there is a certain period of age, both in males and in females, at which there is a greater tendency to produce twins than at other periods. For females this period is somewhere between the 35th and 40th years, and for males it appears to be even later. The smallest proportion of plural births is found amongst women of the youngest ages, the average for the six years being, for ages under 20, one case of twins to 224 confine- ments, mounting steadily to a maximum of one to 67 confinements between the ages of 35 and 40. With fathers the smallest proportion 4 6 is also at ages under 20, the average being one case of twins to every 170 confinements, increasing to a maximum of one to 59 confinements at ages 55 to 60 years. Comparing the births of twins with the actual number of husbands and wives, the average for all ages is 231 per 100,000 couples, being greatest for husbands at age 37, when the average is 322 per 100,000 husbands, and also for wives at the same age, when the birth-rate averages 334 per 100,000 wives. The number of cases of triplets is very small, being on an avera'gif not more than 90 per 1,000,000 confinements ; but it is surprising' how closely their occurrence is affected by the age of the parents. If the triplet births be separated from the other plural births it is found that their maximum occurrence is where the father's age is from 50 to 55 years and the mother's age from 35 to 40 years. The following table shows the probable plurality at a hipth for various age periods : — Table XXI. — Proportion of Plural Births to Total Births to parents of various ages. Total Num- Number oi Annual Proportion of Total Num- Number of Annual Proportion Age Groups. ber of Births Twins to ber of Births Twins to of Twins to Fathers of Fathers of 1011,000 Births at each age. to Mothers of Mothers of per 100,000 each age. each age. each age. each age. Births at each age. 17 and under 20 ... 340 2 588 7,181 32 446 20 „ 25... 16,143 101 626 45,282 272 601 25 ,, 30,.. 46,893 345 736 60,093 560 932 30 „ 35... 54,754 574 1,048 49,546 643 1,298 35 „ 40... 45,678 589 1,290 34,380 512 1,489 40 „ 45 ... 26,377 303 1,149 12,790 159 1,243 45 „ 50... 13,006 158 1,215 1,347 10 742 50 „ 55... 5,249 77 1,467 1,699 55 „ 60... 1,766 527 30 60 ,, 65... 7 1,328 It is a remarkable fact that of 2,210 plural legitimate births, 1,342 or 60 per cent., occurred to mothers whose ages were 30 years and upwards ; whereas, of all legitimate births, only 47 - 5 per cent, occurred amongst women of these ages ; and, although 55 per cent, of legitir mate births occur amongst mothers of 28 years and upwards, the proportion of plural births at these ages is 72 per cent. Out of 19 triplet births, 14 occurred to women over 30 years of age. The mothers' ages in the only three cases of quadruplets registered during the six years were respectively 21, 33, and 36. The same pre- ponderance of plural births amongst women who have passed 28 years of age also applies to illegitimate births, for of the 100 such births, 47 were to women over 28, and 37 to women over 30 years of age, the proportions for those ages amongst all illegitimate births being re- spectively 21 - 5 per cent, and 16 per cent. 47 Deaths in Childbieth. The statistics of all countries are singularly deficient in particulars concerning deaths of child-bearing women, and the information herein given covers a far larger number of cases than any statistics hitherto published. .., ,The data on which the investigations are founded are the ages, pre- vious issue, and other details in regard to 210,935 married women who ■fl^ere confined in the years 1893-98, and 14,735 unmarried women who were confined during the same period. During the six years there were 1,432 deaths of married women, and 160 deaths of unmarried women, in childbirth ; and the following table gives a distribution of the confinements according to the previous issue of married mothers. This interesting grouping cannot be extended to unmarried women as the registrations do not afford particulars of their previous issue. Table XXII. Number of Confinement. Births. Deaths in Childbirth. Number of Confinement. Births. Deaths in Childbirth. 1 2 3 .4 5 41,385 34,089 29,334 24,675 20,621 16,788 13,479 10,328 7,510 5,213 3,420 1,983 365 150 150 130 136 104 99 90 79 47 31 28 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Total .. 1,071 545 274 125 58 20 11 3 15 3 3 1- 6 7 1 g g 10 11 3 12 210,935 1,432 It will be seen that there were only 1,039 confinements of women with a previous issue of thirteen or more ; and as the figures have no value for comparative purposes, they are therefore omitted from the following statement showing the probability of death at each confine- ment. The values quoted are adjusted. The unadjusted values (actual experience) of the probabilities of death during confinement will be found in Appendix H. 4 8 Table XXIII. Number of Confinement. Probability of Death during Confinement. Number of Confinement. Probability of Death during Confinement. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 •00880 •00470 •00509 •00554 •00610 •00682 ■00754 8 9 10 11 12 13 •00872 •00992 •01040 •01100 •01246 •01450 The risk attending the first birth is greater than at any subsequent one up to but not including the ninth ; the minimum risk, -00470, would appear to be at the second confinement, although the risk at the third, -00509, is not much greater. Prom the third confinement the risk increases rapidly ; but the question has not been sufficiently investi- gated to show how much of the increased risk is due to loss of vitality or other causes arising out of previous confinements, and how much to the increased age of the mother. The importance of age as an element of risk at child birth will be further discussed later on. The great bulk of first confinements occur amongst women whose ages range from 19 to 25 years ; they are also fairly numerous from 17 to 33 years. Outside these ages the number of cases is not sufficiently large to warrant any certain deductions being drawn from them. The following are the number of confinements and deaths at each age : — Table XXIV. Age of Mothers. Number of First Confinements (Primiparae). Number of Deaths in Childbirth. Age of Mothers. Number of First Confinements (Primiparae). Number of Deaths in Childbirth. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 . 27 28 29 47 235 894 1,885 2,419 3,271 4,227 4,439 4,137 3,522 3,049 2,640 2,081 1,799 1,278 1,172 768 9 15 25 17 28 32 34 28 2S 19 15 22 19 17 5 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Total ... 671 521 402 338 300 196 172 146 103 42 57 27 16 13 12 13 7 6 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 1 30 31 41,367 363 49 Taking all first confinements, the number of fatal cases represents one death to 114 confinements, so that the average risk is - 0088. The risk at each age is set forth in the following table ; the figures have been adjusted to allow for the improper statement of ages, which is the chief source of error in all vital statistics, and are those from which curve (a), Diagram H, is plotted. Table XXV. Age of Mother. Probability of Death at First Confinement. Age of Mother. Probability of Death at First conlinement. 17 •01000 30 •01238 18 ■00804 31 •01312 19 •00712 32 •01390 20 •00672 33 •01470 21 •00662 34 •01540 22 •00689 35 •01612 23 •00782 36 •01688 24 •00858 37 •01765 25 •00918 38 •01840 26 •00974 39 ■01920 27 •01032 40 •02000 28 •01098 41 •02060 29 , •01166 The risk attendant upon the birth of a first child is at a minimum at age 21 years, increasing very rapidly after this age is passed. The risk also increases as the age falls below 21, but at 17 it is not greater than at 26. The number of confinements of women who have already borne children (multiparae) and the deaths are given in the next Table, the total confinements recorded being 169,541 and the deaths 1,067. The fatal cases represent one death to 160 confinements, being a risk of '0063, as compared with -0088 amongst primiparae. This comparison, however, is of no great value as the confinements of multiparae are numerous at ages over 30, at which ages first confinements are rare and the probability of death very much greater than at the lower ages. 5° Table XXVI. Age of Mother. Number of Confinements (Multiparae). Number of Deaths in Childbirth. Age of Mother. Number of Confinements (Multiparae). Number of Deaths in Childbirth. 16 12 26 9,810 37 17 79 27 9,997 47 18 350 1 28 10,584 66 19 1,054 4 29 10,016 43 20 2,090 4 30 and under 35 46,008 313 21 3,496 9 35 „ 40 33,226 294 22 5,112 17 40 „ 45 12,545 143 23 6,901 19 45 and over 1,343 17 24 8,085 29 25 8,833 24 Total 169,541 1,067 The age of minimum risk for multiparae is 21 years — that is to say, the same year as for primiparae. The values shown, in the following table represent the risk at each age ; they are adjusted and have been used to plot curve (b), Diagram H : — Table XXVII. Age of Mother. Probability of Death during Confinement. Age of Mother. Probability of Death during Confinement. 18 00380 30 ■00577 19 00315 31 •00616 20 00290 32 •00658 21 00285 33 ■00700 22 00297 34 •00742 23 00318 35 •00780 24 00348 36 •00822 25 00382 37 .00862 26 00414 38 •00904 27 • 00453 39 ■00945 28 00494 40 ■00986 29 •00535 41 •01025 5i It will be observed that the risk rises with age, but much more slowly than with the primiparae, and the superiority of the multiparae is visible at every age. xt: Probability of Death. Primiparae. Multiparae. 18 •00804 ■00380 20 •00672 •00290 25 •00918 •00382 30 •01166 •00577 35 •01612 •00780 40 •02000 •00986 A statement of the probability of death to all married women (primiparae and multiparae combined) is not of great interest where it is possible, as in New South Wales, to show the two classes separately, but it is inserted here for purposes of comparison with the statistics of countries where the distinction is not made. The values quoted below are those from which curve (c), Diagram H, has been drawn. The number of cases will be found in Appendix J. Table XXVIII. Probability of Death Probability of Death Age of Mother. durinjr Age of Mother. during; Confinement. Confinement. 17 •00900 32 •00710 18 •00690 33 ■00745 19 •00559 34 ■00780 20 •00477 35 •00816 21 •00454 36 •00850 22 ■00454 37 •00888 23 •00461 38 •00922 24 •00473 39 •00957 25 ■00494 40 •00992 26 ■00518 41 ■01028 27 ■00547 42 •01064 28 •00577 43 •01098 29 •00606 44 •01135 30 •00640 45 ■01170 31 •00673 There is a difficulty in dealing with the deaths of unmarried women, as the previous issue of such women is not ascertained. It is probable that the great bulk of these women, up to age 23, figuring in the tables, are primiparae, beyond that age it is equally probable that there are 5 2 numerous multiparas amongst them. At age 25 the risk of death is greater for the married primiparae than for unmarried women, and as this is unlikely to happen if the unmarried women are all primiparae, , it is evident that a large number of unmarried mothers have previously- borne children. The ages of mothers of illegitimate children, as well as the number of deaths, were as given below. The total number of coii- finements was 14,779, but in 44 cases the mother's age was not stated. Table XXIX. Number Number Number Number Age of Mother. of Confine- of Deaths in Age of Mother 1 . of Confine- of Deaths in ments. Childbirth. ments. Childbirth. 13 7 1 25 663 6 14 55 1 26 587 4 15 155 5 27 . 492 6 16 421 6 2S 458 2 17 842 12 29 358 5 18 1,202 11 30 and under 35 1,284 14 19 1,401 13 35 „ 40 803 2 20 1,404 16 40 „ 45 242 o 21 1,336 1,190 17 34 22 15 23 1,006 13 Total 14,735 160 24 795 9 The risk of death in childbirth in quinquennial periods was — Under 15 , 03226 15 and under 20 -01169 20 ,, 25 -01221 25 „ 30 -00899 30 „ 35 -01090 35 and over -00367 There is a peculiar circumstance connected with the confinements of unmarried women, which is, that for ages above thirty years the propor- tion of women who died was less than amongst married women. The number of unmarried mothers of above 30 years of age was 2,363, and the deaths in confinement 18 — the probability of death was, therefore, ■00762 compared with -00824 of married multiparae and -01497 of primiparae. The number of women confined was too small amongst unmarried and amongst primiparae to allow of any safe deductions being drawn from the foregoing figures. All that can be said with certainty in regard to the confinement of unmarried and married is that the risk of an unmarried woman dying in childbirth is, for women 53 who have not had previous issue, very much greater than for married women, the disproportion nx the ratios being greatest at the lower ages. For women who have already borne children, the risk of the unmarried up to age 35 is the greater; beyond that age the data are altogether insufficient to admit of a fair average being obtained; but, as far as the statistics go, the risk is less for the unmarried. Prior to the publication of the information now got together, the best statistics on the subject of childbirth were those contained in Dr. Matthews Duncan's well-known work on Fecundity, Fertility, and Sterility. Writing in 1871, Dr. Duncan declared that " not fewer than 1 in every 120 women, delivered at or near the full time, die within, four weeks of childbed." In New South Wales there is happily a better, though still a high, average; for there were 1,592 deaths from 225,714 confinements of married and unmarried women, or 1 death to 142 con- finements. As Dr. Duncan has made the distinction between primiparee and multipara^ a comparison of his results for various ages with those of New South Wales are interesting ; this the following table affords : — Table XXX.— Risk in Childbirth. Primiparae. Multiparae. Age Groups.. New South Wales. Dr. Matthews Duncan. New South Wales. Dr. Matthews Duncan. ■00819 ■00709 ■00931 •01528 •01302 •020^1 ■01208 ■01291 •01291 ■02260 •00746 •00334 •00304 ■00441 •00680 •00885 •01140 •01266 20 „ 25 •00711 25 „ 30 •00521 30 „ 35 35 „ 40 •01115 •00879 40 „ 45 •00991 45 „ 50 •02174 In a paper' read at the 66th annual meeting of the British Medical Association, held in Edinburgh, Dr. J. Playfair and Mr. T. Wallace gave statistics of the deaths in the Royal Maternity and Simpson Memorial Hospital, Edinburgh. For married primiparae they found the 1 death-rate to be -020.53^ or one death to 49 confinements; and for married multiparse the death-rate was •0056, or one death to 179 confinements, in both cases very much higher than the rates ascertained for New South Wales ; but the experience afforded by the hospital is- too small to warrant definite conclusions being drawn from it. 54' It would be interesting to compare the rate of deaths as now ascer- tained with those of past years ; but this is unfortunately impossible. It is true that the causes of death have been officially registered for over forty years, but there has been great negligence in the way the certifi- cates of death have been filled in, and it would seem that it has been veiy largely the practice to withhold the true cause where death has been due to confinement. Even the New South Wales Statistics, upon which the most patient care is bestowed, are found to be unreliable, iso far as deaths from childbirth are concerned, for years prior to 1893, as various ill-defined descriptions of the cause of death have been returned by medical attendants, and where a defined cause has been given, the important qualification puerperal has been omitted in a very large number of cases, especially of septicsemia and peritonitis, where death occurred in childbirth. This reluctance to acknowledge the true cause of death is not confined to New South Wales, and statements for any country indicating a more favourable general death-rate than one in one hundred and seventy should be received with caution. From the reports of the vital statistics of the colonies mentioned, the following figures have been computed. It will be seen that the death- rates range from -00447 (1 in 224) to -00705 (1 in 142) ; but in no case can the figures be absolutely relied upon, except for New South Wales, and then only since 1893. A great deal of attention has, however, been bestowed upon the Victorian figures, and they cannot be very far from the truth. . Table XXXI. — Deaths in Childbirth, Australasian Colonies. Colony. Mean of 20 years, 1878-92. Mean of 5 years, 1893-97. •00463 (1 in 216) ■00627 (1 in 159) •00551 (1 in*181) •00473 (1 in 211) •00531 (1 in 188) •00705 (1 in 142) •00567 (1 in 176) •00447 (1 in 224) •00542 (1 in 184) •00498 (1 in 201) The . following were the assigned causes of death in the 1,592 fatal cases of childbirth occurring in the six years under review. It is possible, however, that the total is short of the true number, as it is believed that some 30 cases of death from puerperal fever in 1893 were returned by the persons whose certificates of death were accepted as due to other causes. 55 Table XXXII.— Causes of Death in Childbirth. Cause of Death. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 5 12 11 11 26 16 19 21 26 27 32 20 67 110 111 81 113 92 3 4 1 • 5 3 1 22 28 23 27 32 31 36 30 40 36 39 37 3 1 2 1 4 66 61 64 61 72 59 221 267 278 249 321 256 Total, 1893-98. g Abortion ; Miscarriage 'Puerperal fever 01 Puerperal mania aiPiterperal convulsions frPlacenta prsevia — Flooding .. Phlegmasia dolens Other Casualties of childbirth Total SI 145 574 17 163 21S 11 3S3 1,592 From every point of view the details of causes of death stated above are unsatisfactory, as one-fourth of "all deaths, are grouped together under the heading of other casualties of childbirth. This faulty definition is due to want of thought on the part of medical attendants in furnishing the certificates required by law, the cause of death certified to by them being simply childbirth, which in most cases means one or other of the specific causes enumerated in the table : but even of this there can be no certainty, and in this connection it may not be out of place to remark that many of the difficulties of the statistician in dealing with vital statistics arise from the careless manner in which medical men render their death certificates. 56 1-4 ,__, „ OH o ©in rf a - CO CO - a O as OS m i-h CO 1Q CO co co" co" as CM CM eo" was OSrH IQ_ o CD OS rH •* rH | in — i CO ^o co in CM • m CI *- . t~ 1-1 . rt rH rH CM in o" t~CS ON fr-rH cT rH co rjj CO o" rH coco IOH (DrH 00 CS CO I- 00 CM CO m m o CI © m OIM m cm •*_ r-T COOS CO 1 ©co CO CO m i-h CO CO CO CO CO 1-1 . rH CO co" CM -*eo (N * -* ^ . ^ rH rH OS CO H rH Tji Single . . Plural .. Total.. Single .. Plural .. Total . . Single .. Plural .. Total.. Single . . Plural .. Total . . Single .. Plural .. Total.. Single . . Plural .. Total.. Single .. Plural .. Total . . Single .. Plural .. Total . . Single .. Plural .. Total.. Single .. Plural .. Total.. CD o ■0 § •a I 8 m -rH 0) § n a c* o o m S3 13 S l in - -d § S <3 o O CO tn QJ c =1 T3 c ej O m CO ■0 § C cs o CO O U •a c p ■a c CO m u i> C t( 3 o g S3 ts c =1 to ■■ c! m in CO S3 T3 c TJ c3 o OO 58 Appendix B. stimated Number and Relative Ages of Husbands and Wives (mean of 1895). Ages of Wives. Total Hus- bands. Ages of Husbands. 18. 19. 20. 21 and under 26. 25 and under 30. 30 and under 35. 35 and under 89. 40 and under 45. 45 and under 50. 17 1 5 24 34 404 1 20 50 684 1 2 9 60 930 1 15 90 3,806 5 5 1,034 1 101 21 10 1 3 18 8 19 73 20 240 21 and under 25 6,991 25 „ 30 381 703 1,082 9,425 11,895 2,139 300 58 15 25,998 30 „ 35 106 213 394 4,633 13,763 LI, 689 2,066 326 65 33,255 35 „ 40 31 57 131 1,486 6,455 11,173 8,810 1,638 356 30,137 40 „ 45 7 15 13 383 1,827 5,080 7,587 6,349 1,214 22,475 45 „ 50 5 3 5 . 132 690 2,112 4,175 6,419 5,383 18,924 50 „ 55 2 1 10 68 265 781 1,542 3,163 4,908 10,740 55 „ 60 1 2 24 84 246 519 1,192 2,602 4,670 60 „ 65 1 10 31 71 184 459 826 1,582 65 „ 70 5 20 30 59 136 271 521 70 „ 75 7 10 20 53 95 185 75 „ 80 2 7 9 10 30 80 and upwards. . 1 3 2 11 17 Total, Wives... 1,000 1,749 2,639 20,078 36,083 33,436 25,293 19,814 15,757 155,849 N.B.— The wives between the ages of IS and 50, only, are shown. 59 Appendix C. Monogenous Natality Table. Rough figures. Ages of Husbands. 20 , 21 and under 25 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 30 .. 35 . 40 .. 45 .. 50 .. 55 .. 60 .. 65 .. 70 75 Estimated number. 240 6,991 25,998 33,255 30,137 22,475 18,924 10,740 4,670 1,582 521 185 Annual Births. Ante- nuptial con- ceptions. Adjusted. Husbands. Annual Births. Annual Natality per 100 Husbands. 92-8 24-8 215-2 68-0 2,5010 441-7 6,549-3 2,059-3 7,872-2 800-5 25,197-5 7,071-7 9,306 8 471-6 32,783-4 8,835-2 7,658-0 203-9 29,933-1 7,454-1 4,368-4 65 9 22,409-1 4,302-5 2,169-4 23-5 18,900-5 2,145-9 886-8 8-9 10,731-1 877-9 292-0 3-2 4,666-8 288-8 86-0 1-0 1,581-0 85-0 24-2 0-2 520-8 24-0 6-6 0-1 184-9 6-5 31-6 31-4 28-1 27-0 24-9 19-2 11-4 8-2 6-2 5-4 4-6 3-5 Ages of Wives. Estimated number. Annual Births. Ante- nuptial con- ceptions. Adjusted. Wives. Annual Births. 176-6 823-4 190-4 250-4 1,498-6 415-6 239-4 2,399-6 669-6 899-2 19,178-8 5,841-2 356-4 35,726-6 9,805-2 94:0 33,342-0 8,306-4 34-4 25,258-6 5,693-8 7-2 19,806-8 2-103-2 0-4 15,756-6 226-2 Annual Natality per 100 Wives. 18 19 20 21 and under 25 25 „ 30 30 35 40 45 35 40 .45 50 1,000 1,749 2,639 20,078 36,083 33,436 25,293 19,814 15,757 367 6660 909-0 6,740 10,161-6 8,400-4 - 5,728-2 . 2,110-4 .226-6 23-1 27-7 27-9 30-5 27-5 24-9 22-5 10-6 1-4 6o Appendix D. Bigenous Natality Table. Bough Figures. Adjusted. Ages of Wives. Ages of Husbands. Estimated Number of Annual Births. Ante- nuptial Con- Annual Number Natality per 100 Couples. Couples. ceptions. of Couples. Births. 18 C 20 and under 25 1,172 468-8 193-8 978-2 275-0 281 and J 25 „ 30 1,084 378-6 156-5 927-5 222-1 24-0 under ] 30 „ 35 319 113-8 47-0 272-0 66-8 24-6 20 { 35 „ 40 88 35-8 14-8 73-2 21-0 28-7" ( 20 „ 25 4,886 1,749-2 260-4 4,625'6 1,488-8 32-2 20 j and J -under 1 25 25 „ 30 10,507 3,488-4 519-2 9,987-8 2,969-2 29-7 30 „ 35 5,027 1,674-6 249-3 4,777-7 1,425-3 29-8 35 „ 40 1,617 630-8 79-0 1,538-0 451-8 29-3 40 „ 45 396 129-6 19-3 376-7 110-3 29-3 45 „ 50 137 37-8 5-6 131-4 32-2 24-5 I 50 „ 55 78 14-2 21 75-9 12-1 15-9 ( 20 „ 25 1,039 340-2 12-0 1,027-0 328-2 32 25 „ 30 11,895 3,371-4 118-2 11,776-8 3,253-2 27-6 26 30 „ 35 13,763 3,923-0 137-6 13,625-4 3,785-4 27-8 and under . 35 „ 40 6,455 1,821-8 63-9 6,391-1 1,767-9 27-5 40 „ 45 1,827 468-2 16-4 1,810-6 451-8 25-0 SO t 45 „ 50 690 150-4 5-3 684-7 145-1 21-2 50 „ 55 265 53-8 1-9 263-1 51 9 19-7