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10 Parish of St. George the Martyr, Southwark.
Of the total above poverty, 32.1 per cent, in the area surrounding the Parish
Church of St. George-the-Martyr, we find
E and F. The regularly employed and fairly-paid
working-class of all grades 28.8 per cent.
G & H. Lower and upper-middle-class, and all
above this level 3.3 per cent.
32.1 per cent.
From these figures it appears that the south of London is the poorest part of the
metropolis; further, that the central portion is worse off than other parts of that
district; lastly, that the particular sub-division which includes the Borough Eoad
sub-district is the most poverty-stricken in the whole of London.
On examining the above facts we obtain the following striking general results:—
The Borough Eoad, which has the highest death-rate of the three sub-districts,
is conspicuous for its poverty, its density of population, and its absence of air spaces.
On the other hand, the London-Road sub-district, which has the lowest deathrate
of the three sub-districts, is inhabited by a less-crowded and better-to-do class,
and is fairly supplied with open-air spaces.
I think, gentlemen, that a candid consideration of the returns of these subdistricts
must lead us to the inevitable conclusion that poverty, bad housing, and
overcrowding have a direct influence on the death-rate. In other words, preventable
conditions are responsible for a large margin of wasted human lives, not to mention
the stunted and helpless individuals, the burden of whose support is cast upon the
ratepayers.
(4) Open air spaces, which may be grouped under three headings s—
(1) Public institutions occupying a large area.
(2) Broad streets.
(3) Areas, such as disused burial grounds, formally set apart as places of
recreation.
It should be noted of the three sub-districts—(a) The Borough Road sub-district,
which is the worst from a sanitary point of view, has the Evelina Hospital and the
Workhouse, both buildings without grounds; there are only two wide streets, and
no proper recreation grounds ; (b) The London Road sub-district contains the
Blind Asylum, with about 1J acres of open space, the Royal Bethlehem Asylum
for Lunatics, with 9 acres of open space, King Edward Schools with 1£ acres of open
space, and the Royal South London Opthalmic Hospital without grounds: there are
several wide roads, but no formal air spaces; (c) Kent Road sub-district—the only
public institution is the Deaf and Dumb Asylum (a small building), one broad
street (the Old Kent-Road), there are two recreation grounds of about half-an-acre
apiece laid out on the site of disused burial grounds.
The death-rate of the 33 great towns of England and Wales, with a population of
34-4 persons to an acre, was 21-6 per 1,000 the lowest being :—