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148
Of the whole number 140 lived, worked and slept in one room,
216 occupied 2 rooms.
Sixty-three women suckled their children during the intervals
of work.
Many of the women only became homeworkers when their
husbands fell out of employment, and expressed themselves as
hopeful of relinquishing the work when their husbands began
again.
Eighty per cent, of the whole number appeared to be in good
heajth : the other twenty per cent, were ailing, nine were cripples,
and four had phthisis.
In 51 cases the work was being done in a basement room; in
146 instances the room was of insufficient height, in 53 homes the
lighting was deficient, and in 26 others the ventilation was
inadequate.
In 50 households the floors and bedding were very dirty. As
a class, it was found that the box-makers had a lower standard
of cleanliness than the others, and their homes were more
frequently verminous.
Eighteen notices were served for overcrowding, and 73 for
dirty and dilapidated rooms.
In 324 cases there was marked poverty in the home. This
number comprised 87 widows, 36 spinsters, 3 deserted wives, 7
women with crippled and invalid husbands, 26 women with
husbands out of work, 150 women with husbands engaged in very
irregular, or badly paid work, and 15 old men, feeble and decrepit.
Some of the old ladies over 60 with great difficulty supported
themselves and their crippled or paralysed husbands and children
entirely out of their earnings as homeworkers. On the other hand,
one old man over 70 years, a bootmaker, alert and quick witted,
occasionally earned as much as 30s. per week.
Of the total number, 163 were entirely dependent on their work.