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.