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and San Luis Obispo 10.6, these being the counties with marriage-rates above the State average.

The fact that the marriage-rate is higher for the metropolitan area than for the rural counties of Northern and entral California and that the corrected rate for Los Angeles is above t' at for the rest of Southern California, indicates that marriages usually take place at urban centers. Moreover, the counties named as having marriage-rates above the State average will be readily recognized as counties having large cities. As a rule, too, in each geographic division the counties with rates above the average for the group are counties with important cities or towns. It seems, therefore, that there is a decided tendency for those about to marry to slip away from their homes in rural counties to be married at an important city in some other county.

At the same time there is a counter movement by which couples residing in great cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles go to a suburban county when they wish to be married. This counter movement is shown by the fact that at San Francisco bay the marriagerates are much higher for Marin, San Mateo, and Alameda counties than for the metropolis itself, and in Southern California the marriagerate for Orange county is considerably higher even than the corrected rate for Los Angeles.

Number in Order.-Table 3, below, gives the number in order of marriages, with per cents, for the three main and eight minor geographic divisions, including certain other groups of counties.

TABLE 3.-Marriages classified by Number in Order, with Per Cent Distribution, for Geographic Divisions: 1905-1906.

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Of the 17,932 marriages registered in 1905-1906, 13,182 or 73.5 per cent were first marriages for both parties, neither groom nor bride having ever been married before. The per cent of marriages with both parties single is highest for the coast counties of Northern California, 76.8, the interior counties of Central California, 76.2, and for San Fran

cisco, 76.0. It is lowest, 69.3, for Southern California outside Los Angeles, and next lowest, 69.4, for the bay counties other than San Francisco. The per cent of marriages where neither party was married before is higher for Northern and Central California than for Southern California and north of Tehachapi is higher for the rural counties than for the metropolitan area.

In 1,958 cases, or 10.9 per cent of all, the marriage was the first of the groom only, and in 1,450 cases, or 8.1 per cent, it was the first of the bride only. As a rule, the number of single men marrying widowed or divorced women is greater than the number of single women marrying widowed or divorced men. No geographical division shows a variation from this rule, and exceptions to the rule appear for only nine counties, Plumas, Siskiyou, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Kings, Riverside, and Santa Barbara.

In no more than 1,342 instances, or 7.5 per cent of the total number, was the marriage the second or over of both the groom and the bride, each party having been married once or more before. The per cent of marriages where both parties had been previously married is highest, 9.6, for the six counties of Southern California other than Los Angeles, followed by 9.0 for the bay counties other than San Francisco and by 8.5 for Los Angeles. The per cent of marriages where neither party was single is lowest of all, 5.8, for San Francisco, next, 6.1, for the coast counties of Northern California, and next, 6.7, for the interior counties of Central California. The per cent of such marriages is somewhat higher for the metropolitan area than for the rural counties of Northern and Central California, being 7.2 for the former, against 6.8 for the latter.

Status of Parties.-Table 4 shows for each geographic division the civil status or marital condition of both grooms and brides-whether single, widowed, or divorced-at the time of marriage.

TABLE 4.-Grooms and Brides classified by Marital Condition, with Per Cent Distributions, for Geographic Divisions: 1905-1906.

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TABLE 4.-Grooms and Brides classified by Marital Condition, with Per Cent Distributions, for Geographic Divisions: 1905-1906—Continued.

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It appears from Table 4 that 15,140 or 84.4 per cent of the grooms were single, 1,655 or 9.2 per cent were widowed, and 1,137 or 6.4 per cent were divorced. Among the brides the single numbered 14,632 or 81.6 per cent, the widowed 1,891 or 10.5 per cent, and the divorced 1,409 or 7.9 per cent. The widows outnumber the widowers by 236 or 14.3 per cent, and the number of divorced women exceeds that of divorced men by 272 or 23.9 per cent.

The per cent of widowers is particularly high (11.8) in Southern California, being 10.7 for Los Angeles and 13.0 for the other six counties. The per cent of widows is also highest (12.5) for the six counties of Southern California other than Los Angeles, and is next highest, 12.0 and 11.9 respectively, for the interior and coast counties of Northern California.

The per cent divorced, both among grooms and brides, is highest for the bay counties other than San Francisco, and next for Southern California, especially outside Los Angeles. While the per cent of divorced grooms is only 6.4 for the State, it is 8.4 for the four counties adjoining San Francisco, 6.9 for Los Angeles and 6.8 for the other six counties of Southern California, being 8.3 for Orange county. Similarly, as compared with 7.9 for the State, the per cent of divorced brides is 10.6 for the four counties suburban to San Francisco, and 8.0 for the six counties of Southern California other than Los Angeles, being 10.0 for Orange against 7.1 for Los Angeles. Though the per cent of divorced brides is only 7.4 for San Francisco, it is 8.9 for Alameda, 9.0 for Contra Costa, 14.1 for San Mateo, and 15.5 for Marin. But as heretofore explained, residents of the metropolis often prefer to be married in the suburbs and this seems to be especially the case among divorced persons.

VITAL STATISTICS FOR AUGUST.

Summary.-For August there were reported 1,796 living births; 2,106 deaths, exclusive of stillbirths; and 1,709 marriages. For an estimated State population of 1,882,483 in 1906 the returns for August give the following annual rates: Births, 11.4; deaths, 13.4; and marriages, 10.9, per 1,000 population.

Tuberculosis, as usual, was the leading cause of death and typhoid fever was the most fatal epidemic disease.

Causes of Death.-The following table gives the number of deaths due to certain principal causes in August, as well as the proportion from each cause per 1,000 total deaths for both August and July:

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Tuberculosis, as usual, was the leading cause of death in August, though diseases of the circulatory system (heart disease, etc.) were a close second, the proportion of total deaths for the former being 147.7 against 134.4 for the latter.

Typhoid fever is still the most fatal epidemic disease in the State, the proportion of all deaths due to this disease being much greater for August than for July, though the proportions declined for all other epidemic diseases except whooping-cough.

CALIFORNIA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION

SEVENTH SESSION

ALUM ROCK SPRINGS, SAN JOSE, OCTOBER 12, 1906

The California Public Health Association will hold its fall meeting at Alum Rock Springs, San José, Friday, October 12, at 10 A. M.

The San José Chamber of Commerce has kindly interested itself in the entertainment of the Association and the following program has been arranged.

Special car, furnished by the Alum Rock Railway Company, will leave the corner of First and Santa Clara streets, San José, at 10 A. M. sharp. Free transportation to and from the park.

All in attendance are invited to join in a barbecue furnished by the San José Chamber of Commerce at noon.

The Park Commission furnishes the freedom of the Park.

PROGRAM

Address of Welcome, by HON. H. D. MATHEWS, Mayor of San José.
Address by J. D. RADFORD, President of First National Bank, giving
history of the Park, its purposes and future plans.

"Formation of Mineral Springs," by PROF. HARRY S. JOHNSON,
Stanford University

"Use and Abuse of Mineral Springs," by DR. ROBERT CREES, Paso Robles.
"Mineral Springs of California," by PHILIP MILLS JONES, Editor of
California State Journal of Medicine.

Discussion of Papers.

Questions and Answers.

MINERAL SPRINGS.

The subject of mineral springs is one of the utmost importance to California. No State or country is more richly endowed with them than is California, and there are probably none of the famous springs of Europe but what can be duplicated here, and in their variety we far excel them. The trouble with our springs is that they are not studied and classified so that a person can exercise intelligence in his selection. As a result, more often than otherwise patients go to the one that is not indicated in their particular case, and fail to receive benefit, or may even be injured by their sojourn. Many of the springs have no attending physician, or, if so, he is generally one who has given no exhaustive study to the subject. These springs should be a source of great income to the people of the State and, better, a great relief to the suffering of mankind; but this can be only when they have been carefully studied and intelligently used. There is little doubt but at present they do as much harm as good, simply from the want of proper supervision.

Every one interested in mineral springs who can intelligently discuss and throw light on the subject is urged to be present at the session of the California Public Health Association, to be held at Alum Rock Springs, San José, October 12, 1906, and help in a systematic development of this great health-giving feature of our State.

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