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258
necessaries for the maintenance of merely physical efficiency"
and (b) "families whose total earnings would be sufficient for
the maintenance of merely physical efficiency were it not that
some portion of it is absorbed by other expenditure either useful
or wasteful."*
He found that in York 9.91 per cent, of the total population
were in a state of "primary poverty," and 17.93 per cent,
were living in "secondary poverty." In the result 27.84 per cent,
of the population of that city are living in such poverty that physical
efficiency was not being maintained. We have no similar figures
for Finsbury, but there can be little doubt that much the same
conditions exist as in York, although there would of course be
certain differences. On the whole, however, the differences are
in favour of York.
On the general question of poverty in Finsbury I have received
the following letter from the Clerk to the Parochial Charities
(Mr. Paterson), and I have his permission to put in this letter
as broad evidence on the general question:—
Charity Organization Association,
City, Holborn and Finsbury Committee,
4, Goswell Road, E.C.,
30th January, 1905.
Dear Sir,
I have carefully considered the subject referred to in your letter
of the 23rd instant. After 18 years of close acquaintance with Finsbury,
and with all classes of the population resident in the Borough during this
time, it is my opinion that there is a very close connection between the
particular kind of poverty to be found in Finsbury, and the Death Rate,
which I understand is large.
Of late years the social and moral conditions of the Borough have
been getting steadily worse, and while there were always certain centres
of criminal population [instances quoted] the number of persons of bad
character has in the last decade largely increased
*Poverty: A study in Town Life. B. S. Rowntree. First Editon, p. 86.