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225 [1906
Mrs. YOUNG'S REPORT.
Town Hall,
Upper Street, Islington, N.
March 14 , 1907.
T. A. E. Harris, Esq.
Medical Officer of Health.
Sir,
Herewith I have pleasure in submitting a report of the work done from November
6th, when I commenced my duties, to the end of the year 1906.
During this period the whole of my time was occupied in visiting the homes of Outworkers
residing in the Borough. The total number on the register at the end of the year
was 1,940, viz.:—
Reported by firms trading in the Borough 1,102
Names and addresses received from other Boroughs 838
1,940
583 names and addresses were forwarded to other Boroughs (567 by Miss Brown),
leaving a total of 1,357 outworkers residing and working in this Borough.
These figures represent the total number of names notified during the second half of the
year, viz., those sent in August (as required by the Home Office); therefore not being in
any way duplicated by the February lists for the first half of the year, they may be taken
as an (approximately) correct estimate of the actual number of persons thus employed.
The following is a list of their various occupations:—
The making of wearing apparel 1,779
„ „ furniture and upholstery 7
,, „ paper and card boxes 140
,, ,, brushes 10
,, ,, electro-plate 4
1,940
That so large a porportion of these workers are engaged in the making of wearing
apparel, which is generally worn in the condition in which it leaves the home of the outworker
(without washing, or any sort of cleansing), points to the absolute necessity of cleanliness
in the conditions of their workrooms, especially as these rooms are frequently used
as bed and living rooms by the family; but, unfortunately, the scale of wages paid to this
class of workers is so low; and they are often compelled to work so many hours to gain a
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