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167
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.
The Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, came into force at the
beginning of 1902, and has thrown upon the Local Authority a
number of additional duties. Section 132 of the Act further
lays down that the Medical Officer of Health of every district
council shall every year report specifically on the administration
of the Act in workshops and workplaces in the district under his
supervision, and transmit a copy to the Secretary of State for
the Home Department. This portion of the Annual Report on
the Health of Finsbury is devoted to the subject, and within its
pages will be found reference to everything which has concerned
the Public Health Department in 1902, in relation to workshops
or workplaces. The only exceptions are restaurants, sweet-shops
and milk-shops, which come more suitably in the section of the
Report dealing with the Protection of the Food Supply.
It is well known that the population of the Borough of
Finsbury is largely an industrial population. Out of the total
population of 101,463 there are 23,086 persons under 10 years of
age. These may be set on one side. The number of persons
over 10 years of age is, therefore 78,377. Out of this number
28,669 are " retired" or unoccupied, leaving a total of 49,708
workers, or nearly one-half of the entire population. Subtracting
9,708 as approximately the total number of those occupied in
Government service, defence of the country, professional and
commercial occupations, and employers of labour, we get a rough
estimate of 40,000 persons employed in factories, workshops or
workplaces.
I have abstracted from the Census Report for 1901 a table
giving the returns under each of the 23 headings of the Census
Report, except " Fishing," which occupies nobody in Finsbury.
Hence we have 22 classes of workers. The chief industries of
Finsbury come under domestic and hotel service, conveyance of
men and goods, metal and machinery, jewellery and watchmaking,
builders, carpenters and plumbers, furniture and decorations,
skin and feather works, papers and printers, and dress and textile
fabrics.