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36
home lying in bed with damp clothes on, and being looked after by
a neighbour.
5. The father was out of work and was given employment in
the country through the aid of the Distress Committee. At its
completion he returned home to find his wife living with another
man, the home almost entirely pawned, and the baby and the
other children dirty and grossly neglected.
6. The father's wages ranged from 10s. to 12s. weekly. The
family consisted of the parents and 5 children and occupied one
back room. The walls and bedding were dirty. The room was
overcrowded. The baby was nearly twelve months old, was undersized
and insufficiently fed—it was having half-a-pint of cow's milk
daily.
Home circumstances and condition of the other
children.—Of the mothers 196 were stated to be moderate
drinkers, as compared with 190 fathers; one mother and five
fathers drank to excess. In 174 homes there was evidence of
poverty, in 18 households evidence of destitution. Not unfrequently
when the Lady Health Visitors call on Monday morning
they are unable to get access to the tenement but are informed
by a neighbour that the mother has gone "to the pawnshop." It
occasionally happens that on other days they may be shown by the
mother pawntickets representing £2, £3, or £4 obtained in this
way. Sometimes even the children's boots are pawned.
In 124 families, the other children were thin and in poor condition,
in 107 families they were ricketty, in 167 homes they were
dirty, in 148 households they were badly clothed, in 65 families
the other children were verminous.
Illustrative cases.—
1. One back room was occupied for living and sleeping by a
father, mother, and two children, aged respectively 19 months and
12 days. The room was clean, the bedding was clean. The baby
was fat, smiling and clean. The only household utensils were four
cups without handles and three saucers. There were no jugs, no
knives, no forks, no spoons.