10
and 60 coolies respectively. A special temporary staff was organized during
1989 for anti-mosquito work. It consisted of 10 sub-inspectors and 50 coolies.
27. During 1908-1909 Rs. 24,34,002 was spent on the Public Health
Department, Rs. 4,64,535 on Hospitals and Medical Relief and Rs. 2,23,328 on
special plague work, or a total Medical and Sanitary expenditure of Rs. 30,91,865.
This is equivalent to an expenditure of just over Rs. 3-2-6 per head of
the population (about 4s. 2\1/2\d. in sterling). The annual expenditure on the
Health Department of the City has averaged over Rs. 20,00,000 during the past
ten years. During the sixteen years since the advent of plague in 1896-1897 a
total sum of Rs. 70,00,000 has been spent on measures directed against that
disease or an average expenditure of about 41/2 lakhs or 30,000. The expendi-
ture on anti-plague measures in 1908 amounted to nearly 15,000.
28. The Department of Public Works is under the Executive Engineer,
assisted by a large staff of Deputy and Assistant Engineers in charge of differ-
ent branches of work. Thus there is a Drainage Department in charge of a
Special Drainage Engineer and two Assistant Engineers ; a Water Department,
with two Engineers in charge; a Road Department, controlled by another
Engineer; a Streets and Buildings Department, possessing three Engineers;
besides several smaller branches in charge of special officers.
The City has spent a total of Rs. 2,82,00.000 upon water-supplies and water
works. Large sums have also been spent upon drainage. In the ten years since
1897 57\3/4\ lakhs has been spent on drainage, and it is proposed to carry out further
drainage works in the next few years at an estimated cost of 50 lakhs. The
expenditure on the Public Works Department of the city has averaged over
Rs. 2,00,000 per annum during the past five years.
Section 4.
29. VITAL STATISTICS OF BOMBAY.-It is now generally recognized
that accurate vital statistics are of great importance to the sanitarian, and in
the investigation of any condition bearing upon the health of a community,
reliable figures regarding,
(1) total births and deaths;
(2) birth-rates and death-rates;
(3) cause of death, etc.,
may be of great assistance. As is well known, the figures relating to vital
occurrences in India generally are not reliable ; but in large cities like Bombay
and Calcutta, registration though not perfect as regards the recording of births
and the causes of death, is fairly accurate as regards the total number of deaths.
Years ago Dr. Hewlett, when Health Officer of Bombay, stated that, in his
opinion the total number of deaths recorded in that city was accurate, and more
recently Dr. Turner, the present Executive Health Officer, has expressed the
same opinion.
30. Annual Mortality.- The total number of deaths recorded each
year since 1848 is as follows : -
1848
10,051
1864*
25,015
1880
21,146
1896*
33,451
1849
12,828
1865*
28,531
1881
21,856
1897*
47,896
1850
15,137
1866
16,865
1882
20,468
1898*
51,961
1851
15,980
1867
15,500
1883
23,530
1899*
56,434
1852
14,022
1868
15,702
1884
22,542
1900*
79,350
1853
13,647
1869
17,713
1885
21,850
1901*
59,495
1854*
17,541
1870
14,888
1886
20,074
1902
48,414
1855
14,826
1871
16,064
1887
20,513
1903
50,513
1856
14,761
1872
18,990
1888
22,421
1904
42,676
1857
17,826
1873
15,665
1889
23,378
1905
47,762
1858
14,312
1874
15,496
1890
20,534
1906*
52,874
1859
14,249
1875*
18,734
1891
23,847
1907
38,687
1860
14,409
1876*
20,873
1892
26,518
1908
38,271
1861
15,014
1877*
33,511
1893
23,142
1909
31,878
1862
15,809
1878*
26,999
1894
27,330
1910
1863*
18,696
1879
22,527
1895
25,081
* Indicates years in which scarcity or famine existed in parts of the Bombay Presidency.
Increased mortality in the City in these years was probably due to a temporary influx of large numbers of people
in excess of the normal.