Ogden Daily Standard | 1919-07-25 | Page 4 | 1919 "Baby Crop"

1919 "BABY CROP." i i America's "infant industry" for 1919 promises to be the largest in the history his-tory of the United States. This fore cast is made in spite of nearly 100 per cent reduction in the excess of births over deaths in 1918. Some interesUng information is dis-1 closed by a compilation of figures gath erfd by the committee from health officials of-ficials in 167 of the largest American cities. It is shown that deaths in the United States last year increased 540,-000 540,-000 over 1917. This total Is exclusive of the 75,000 60ldlers who gave their lives on foreign soil. The number of I J births in 191S is placed at 2,700.000, an ! increase of 27,000 over the preceding year. The natural national increase in population is estimated at 450,000, compared com-pared with 1,000,000 in 1917. The baby death rate for the country increased seven points, which is accounted ac-counted remarkably low when all elements ele-ments conspiring against the baby are taken into account war unrest, high cost of food, and the influenza The bbay death rat$ in the city of New York, perhaps the most cosmopolitan community in the world, was kept low despite the high cost of foodstuffs, general war .conditions and the influenza, influ-enza, which was chiefly responsible for an increase of nearly 20,000 deathc of all ages, the city's deaths for the year numbering 98,118 New York City's baby death rate was 92 per 1000. which is three points higher than tha' of the previous twelve months, when a record was established. Infant deaths in the metropolis last year totaled 12.-657, 12.-657, compared with 12,568 in 1917, an Increase of only 89. It is found that the infant mortality rate for seventy-nine cities with populations pop-ulations over 50,000 is 97.2. The rate for thirty-eight cities between 50,000 and 100,000 of population is 113.8 and that for forty-five cities over 100,000 is 102.5 The honor infant death rate among cities of 100,000 or more, according to the committee's figures, was attained by San Francisco which, with a population popu-lation of above half a million, lowered Its baby death rate from 73.6 per 1000 In 1917 to 57.2. Seattle was not far behind with 63.4, although this Is an increase for that town of four points. Reading, Pa., presented a figure of 202.9. Fixing 104 as the average death rate for the United States, it is found that of the forty -two cities with populations above 100,000 which reported, twenty-two twenty-two are above this figure and twenty below. The twenty-two cities whose rates are above this total, given in the order of their size are Chicago 104.3; Philadelphia 126; Boston 114.9: Baltimore Balti-more 147 8, Tittsburg 122.5; Buffalo 121.5; Milwaukee 108.2. Cincinnati 104.1; Newark 104.7; New Orleans 123.3; Washington 110 9; Jersey City 118.7; Louisville 117.3; Denver 107.3; Syracuse 117 4, Birmingham, Ala.. 133.5; Memphis 145; Scranton 144.2; Richmond 146.2; Fall River 161.3; Lowell 159.1, Albany 107 4 Only three cities reported baby death rates below fifty These cities are all of the class below 50,000. Brookline, Mass , one of the five honor elties of 1917, has the lowest rate, 34 4; Madison, Wis., next with 38 1, and Pasadena, Cal., third with 43.8.