General

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GENERAL.

The populations of the Registration Districts are shown in Table VI., and of the Parliamentary Constituencies in Table IX. After what has been stated above, comment upon these Tables is hardly necessary; but perhaps we should draw attention to the fact that the populations of counties and burghs for Parliamentary purposes do not all agree with the populations of the Civil Counties and Municipal Burghs of the same name. The differences are due to alterations that have been made in county boundaries for Civil purposes, which, however, do not affect the boundaries for Parliamentary purposes.

For the purpose of the Reports of the Registrar-General, the Registration Districts are divided into five groups. The group of Principal Town Registration Districts contains those towns which at the time of the previous Census had a population of over 30,000. The group of Large Town Registration Districts consists of registration districts which, at the time of the last Census, contained towns with a population of between 10,000 and 30,000. The group of Small Town Registration Districts consists of those registration districts which at that date contained towns with a population of between 2000 and 10,000. The group of Mainland-Rural Registration Districts consists of all mainland Scotland not included in the Principal, Large, and Small Town Districts; while the group of Insular-Rural Registration Districts similarly consists of all the insular portion of Scotland not included in these Town districts.

We give below a Table showing the population of these groups of Registration Districts as constituted in 1901, along with the corresponding populations of 1911. In the Table it may be noted that the increase of population in the Small Town Districts is found to be 105,043. or 11.7 per cent.; in the Principal Town Districts, 87,720, or 4.4 per cent.; in the Large Town Districts, 81,666, or 14.7 per cent.; and in the Mainland-Rural Districts, 19,443, or 2.1 per cent.; while in the Insular-Rural Districts there was a loss of population of 6530, or 5.6 per cent. The figures included in this Table will be used for the purpose of revising the statistics of the decade 1901-1910, but for the statistics of the coming decade, 1911 to 1920, a fresh distribution of the districts into the groups will be made, depending not upon the 1901 population as in the annexed Table, but upon the 1911 population.

GROUPS OF REGISTRATION DISTRICTS.

  1901. 1911. Increase or
Decrease.
Rate per cent.
of Increase
or Decrease.
Principal Town Districts 1,974,872 2,062,592 +87,720 +4.4
Large Town Districts 557,225 638,891 +81,666 +14.7
Small Town Districts 894,841 999,884 +105,043 +11.7
Mainland Rural Districts 928,496 947,939 +19,443 +2.1
Insular Rural Districts 116,669 110,139 -6,530 -5.6

We hope to begin the issue of our full Report on the Census in the near future. The method we have adopted for tabulating results lends itself to a county-by-county tabulation, and we propose to issue the Tables and the statistical data and deductions they furnish as soon as prepared, rather than delay them until they are completed for the whole of Scotland. We shall then supplement the reports dealing with county populations by a General Report dealing with the population of Scotland as a whole, and including some special statistical enquiries which will not be included in the former.

We have the honour to be,

MY LORD,
  Your most obedient Servants,
  J. PATTEN MACDOUGALL,
Registrar- General.

JAMES C. DUNLOP,
Superintendent of Statistics.

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