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that 27 men and 217 women were found to be engaged in home
work. Of the 27 men, about half were tailors, and the remainder
were shoe-makers, umbrella makers, etc. Of the 217 women, 75
were widows or single women; these latter workers, generally
speaking, work at greater pressure, owing to the fact that they
are often entirely dependent upon such work for their livelihood.
The greater number of the married women are obliged to work
owing to thel want of employment, or low wages, of the husband;
a certain number of young married women and elderly married
women, with few home duties, woirk from choice as well as for the
extra money they are thus able to obtain. In some instances home
work is taken in to assist in the support of an aged relative.
The Council's duties in regard to the home work provisions of
the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901 (Sections 107-114), concern
four points, viz.:—(1) outworkers' lists, (2) the communication of
the addresses of outworkers to other districts, (3) the supervision
of home workers' premises as regards insanitation and infectious
diseases, and (4) the transmission to the Home Office of a copy
of the Annual Report. In regard to (1), (2) and (4), comment is
unnecessary. It may, however, be noted, that we receive the
second largest number of names of outworkers in London, and we
send out to other Authorities the second largest list under requirement
(2), which of course entails a large amount of labour on the
clerical staff. In regard to (3), it should be stated that less than 6 percent.
of the homes of outworkers in Finsbury were found to be "insanitary,"
and, even then, the defects were minor ones. Cases of infectious disease
are rare, and when occurring are at once removed to hospital. Three
cases of scarlet fever and two of diphtheria, occurred in outworkers'
homes during 1907. No case of infectious disease has
been allowed to remain in the home of an outworker. In consequence
of these facts the requirements of the law in Sections 108110
have again remained unused this year in Finsbury.
From the table following, it will be seen that about 86 per cent. of
the home workers live in 1, 2 or 3 room tenements, and many
being married women with families, are unable to take in the
cleaner, finer or better paid classes of work, much of which is
distributed from firms in Finsbury and the City to other districts.