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CHAPTR 11
VITAL
STATISTICS
During the lst months of 1856 a new, s.ignificant element
entered into Hall's struggle for health reforms , resulting from his
association with Miller. Followi.ng tJ:t e representations of the
11Working-class11 group on J\ugust 4 that he should stand as its
candidate to the House of As semb ly, Miller was elected to the new
Parliament as the first '1labour11 member for Hobarton : thus the potential
power of l.egislative opportunity and authority was added to the weight of
journalistic support . Both Miller and Hall intended to use it.
'Vital Statistics ' were now of immense importance. Hall's
entire argument, all his evidence depended upon the accuracy and
sufficiency of the Registrar-General 's data. In the countless,
laborious hours he spent at the Registrar 's Office sifting facts and
figures and compili.ng tables, he frequently felt much impatience and
annoyance at the defects and inadequacies of the returns ; · too much time
was allowed to elapse after a death occurred before it was registered,
even months in the case of Government officials and institutions;
information concerning the 11native place11 of the deceased, the '1place of
·decease11 and he 11cause of death'1 was often meagre , vague, too general
and incorrect; deaths occurring on emigrant and other ships whilst at
sea \llere also recorded incorrectly in the Register of the Hobarton
district. Having carefully studied and compared the methods used ir
Tasmania for registering returns with those overs eas , he realized that
the defective system in Tasmania must be remedied. When he discovered
that the Legislature was considering p1ssing a bill to abolish the office
of Registrar-General of Births , Deaths and Marriages as a distinct
department and to transfer the duties to the office of the Registrar of
Deeds , a very detrimental step in his opinion, he decided to direct a
petition to both Houses of Parliament.
Although Hall's petition, presented by W. Kermode on
December 19 , 1856, did not prevent the passing of the bill in question