Abstract
SIR KINGSLBY WOOD, the Minister of Health, has taken to heart the criticisms of the schedule of the Population (Statistics) Bill which have been brought forward, both in and out of Parliament, since its publication. The revised schedule omits altogether the comprehensive Clause 3, which made it possible to demand information upon “any other matter", and was much disliked. The questions now to be asked are definite and simple. On registration of birth: the age of the mother; the date of marriage ; the number of former children of the mother. On registration of death: whether the deceased was married ; if a woman, the date and duration of marriage ; the number of children ; the age of the surviving spouse. The information so obtained will not be disclosed to the public. These are not provocative questions and it may be expected that they will be approved by Parliament. The history of this Bill shows our democratic institutions at their best. We have, first, a Bill with a vague and complex schedule, calculated to give rise to objections, and covering more ground than was really required ; then an excellent, critical debate in the House of Commons, and a good, general discussion in the newspapers ; and, finally, the revision and simplification of the Bill by a sensible Minister.
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Population Statistics. Nature 140, 1044 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/1401044a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1401044a0