Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/569

 NOTES AND MEMORANDA 547 the death-rates, based on the official estimates of the population in those towns, differed from the true rates to the extent of twenty or even twenty-six per cent. So inaccurate were the figures, that in more than one case the death-rates seemed to have they had risen. Such statistical lights are nere darkness. fallen; more whereas, in fact, bewildering than PENDING the adoption of a quinquennial Census, and perhaps after it for the intercensal periods, it might be well to employ with respect to the totals of each kingdom Dr. Longstaffs ingenious method, which takes into account such statistics as are available respecting mi- gration within the United Kingdom, rather than the official estimate, which rests on the simple assumption that the rate of the growth of population in the next decade will be the same as in the last. A statistical prophecy has seldom been better fulfilled than that of Dr. Longstaffs, which we recorded in our last number (June 1891, p. 387). For the popalation of England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, respectively Dr. Longstaff's estimates were 29,012,776, 4,105,484, 4,694,789; while the true figures are 29,001,018, 4,033,103, 4,706,162. THE Congress of Hygiene and Demography, which held its sittings in London last month, touched the interests of economists at many points. Dr. Ogle resumed his celebrated investigations as to the influence of occupations on health. Having ingeniously eliminated the disturbing effect which differences in the ages of the classes under observation exercise on the statistics, he expressed the mortality of each occupation as a percentage of that minimum which is incident to the clerical profession. For example, the comparative mortality of earthenware makers is 314 (more than three times the clerical .standard). The coefficient for inn and hotel servants is 397. The paper contains new investigations of the causes of these remarkable differences. On one of these causes, intemperance, new light was thrown by Professor Westergaard, of Copenhagen, who presented an extended review of the statistical knowledge at present available on the relation of alcoholism to public health, together with a critical survey of the methods in vogue for increasing the sobriety of peoples. On the whole, he appeared to lean towards what is known as' the Gothenburg system.' Economists who take a wide view of their province will study Mr. Galton's presidential address relating to the comparative fertility of different classes and races, and Dr. Kor6si's p.per on the influence of parental age on the vitality of children. Ve regret that we have not space to summarise all the proceedings of the Demographic Section. N N2