For all live babies born in wedlock the infant mortality rate is 130.7. It rises to 255.7 when the father earns less than $521 a year or less than $10 a week, and falls to 84 when he earns $1,200 or more or if his earnings are “ample.”[30] The variation in the infant mortality rate from one earnings group to another is not perfectly regular and consistent, but if any two or more consecutive groups are combined an invariable lowering of the infant mortality rate from one such combined group to that next higher results. Footnote 30: “Ample” as used in this report has a somewhat arbitrary meaning. When information concerning the father’s earnings was not available and the family showed no evidences of actual poverty, the word “ample” was used. If no information concerning earnings was available when, on the other hand, the family was clearly in a state of abject poverty, then the income was tabulated as “Under $521.” TABLE 30.—DISTRIBUTION OF LIVE BIRTHS AND OF DEATHS DURING FIRST YEAR, AND INFANT MORTALITY RATE, ACCORDING TO ANNUAL EARNINGS OF FATHER AND NATIVITY OF MOTHER, FOR LEGITIMATE LIVE-BORN BABIES. ═════════════════════════════════════════╤═════════╤═════════╤═════════ │ Total │ Deaths │ Infant ANNUAL EARNINGS OF FATHER ACCORDING TO │ live │ during │mortality NATIVITY OF WIFE. │ births. │ first │ rate. │ │ year. │ ─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Total │ 1,431│ 187│ 130.7 ═════════════════════════════════════════╪═════════╪═════════╪═════════ Under $625 │ 384│ 82│ 213.5 ─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── Under $521 │ 219│ 56│ 255.7 $521 to $624 │ 165│ 26│ 157.6 │ │ │ $625 to $899 │ 385│ 47│ 122.1 ─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── $625 to $779 │ 224│ 24│ 107.1 $780 to $899 │ 161│ 23│ 142.9 │ │ │ $900 or more │ 186│ 18│ 96.8 ─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────┼─────────┼───────── $900 to $1,199 │ 138│ 14│ 101.4 $1,200 or more │ 48│ 4│ 83.3 │ │ │ Ample[1] │ 476│ 40│ 84.0 │ │ │