Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1906 — CHICAGO A HEALTHFUL TOWN. [ARTICLE]

CHICAGO A HEALTHFUL TOWN.

Government’* Mortality Figure* on Six Largest Cities.

Now comes the United States government and backs up Chicago in her proud boast of being the healthiest city in the country, and therefore, by Inference, in the \vorldT~The Chicago Tiealth department, in its weekly bulletin, tells of having received the “special reports” of the federal census department These reports are the mortality statistics for 1900-1904 inclusive, and their authority Is the highest obtainable. The six most Important cities In this country—those with populations of *OO,OOO or more—are dealt with In Uncle Sam’s figures. The Chicago health fllicials make this condensation of tho report: * ' “Chicago’s annual death rate Is more than one-fifth (23.5 per cent) lower than the average death rate of the other five cities—the Chicago rate being 14.61, and the average rate of the other cities being 19.11 per thousand of the average population of the period.

“The St. Louis rate (18.05) Is 23.5 per cent higher than the Chicago rate. The Philadelphia rae (18.82) Is 28.3 per cent higher. The Boston rate 118.93 is 29.6 per cent higher. The New York rate (19.64 is 34.4 per cent higher. And the Baltimore rate (26.09) Is 37.5 per cent higher than the Chicago rate.”

As to the Chicago “pace,” the bulletin says:

“Life Is certainly ‘strenuous* enough ivt Chicago. But the figures show that the average Chicagoans can stand strenuoslty 12 per cent better than the New Vorker, 20 per cent better than the Bostonian, nearly 28 per cent better than the St. Louisian, one-third better than the Philadelphian and nearly 40 per cent better than the Baltimorean.”