London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1912
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1912
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During 1912 the names and addresses of 825 outworkers were received as compared with 749 in 1911 and 832 in 1910. Lists were sent in by employers and by the Medical Officers of Health of the following Metropolitan Boroughs and District Councils:—
| District. | Lists. | Outworkers | District. | Lists. | Outworkers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 2 | 73 | St. Marylebone | 3 | 25 |
| Finsbury | 2 | 13 | Shoreditch | 3 | 10 |
| Fulham | 2 | 2 | Southwark | 3 | 7 |
| Hackney | 2 | 2 | Walthamstow | 1 | 1 |
| Kensington | 3 | 26 | Wandsworth | 9 | 74 |
| Lambeth | 5 | 26 | Westminster | 3 | 138 |
| New Maiden | 1 | 1 | City of London | 17 | 29 |
| Paddington | 2 | 3 | |||
| Poplar | 1 | 1 | Totals | 59 | 431 |
The names and addresses of 181 outworkers which were sent in
by employers were found to refer to other districts and were accordingly
forwarded to the Medical Officers of Health of these districts.
The premises occupied by outworkers are systematically inspected, and any insanitary conditions found remedied. The following table shows the number of outworkers' premises registered in the Borough, together with the trades and number of persons employed:—
| Trade. | Number on Register. | Persons Employed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premises | Workrooms. | Males. | Females. | |
| Blousemaking | 15 | 15 | - | 17 |
| Bootmaking | 39 | 39 | 39 | — |
| Boxmaking | 9 | 9 | — | 10 |
| Dressmaking | 7 | 7 | - | 7 |
| Embroidery | 35 | 35 | — | 35 |
| Glovemaking | 35 | 35 | 1 | 39 |
| Tailoring | 53 | 53 | 35 | 25 |
| Underclothing | 29 | 29 | — | 29 |
| Other trades | 18 | 18 | 4 | 16 |
| Totals | 240 | 240 | 79 | 178 |