THE FALL OF THE BIRTH-RATE 15 



the average was only i-i. The legitimate birth-nr 

 therefore only less than the total by 2-2 to i-i points; 

 the figures for the census years are given in tiu 

 column of Table IV. Taking 1871, the last census 

 year before the fall began, as our reference point, the 

 first column of the following table shows that the fall 

 between 1871 and 1911 was in the proportion of 1000 

 to 709, a fall of 29*1 per cent. 



TABLE V. 



The figures of Table IV reduced by taking the 

 data for 1871 as 1000 in each column. 



Year 

 1851 

 1861 

 1871 

 1881 

 1891 

 1901 

 1911 



The next possible step is also clear. Instead of 

 taking the ratio of legitimate births to the population, 

 take the ratio to the number of married women 

 reeo 15 and 45 years of age. This will at once 

 eliminate the effects of all changes in the proper 

 of married women to the population, and of their 

 ages, except in so .far as they have altered bet\\ 

 the age-limits given. The numbers of births in the 

 us years per thousand married women aged 15 to 



J5 are given in the second column of Table IV. They 

 11 from 288 per thousand in 1871 to 196 onl\ in 

 i<ji i, and the proportional figures in the follow 

 table show that t n the ratio of 1000 to 681. 



