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
West Ham 1899
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1899
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The two tables given above may be summarized in the table given below:—
For a whole fortnight before May-Day—
| Hrs. | Min. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| North—218 | Men collected 639 loads in | 2,299 | 35. |
| South—168 | „ 422 „ „ | 1,626 | 50. |
| 386 | „ „ 1,061 „„ | 3,926 | 25. |
| = 2.7 loads per man, and 3.7 hours per load. | |||
For a whole fortnight after May-Day—
| Hrs, | Min. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| North—322 | Men collected 679 loads in | 2,919 | 50. |
| South—204 | „ „ 460„ „ | 1,710 | 45. |
| 526 | „ „ 1 „ „ | 4,630 | 35. |
| = 2.1 loads per man, and 4 hours per load. | |||
This appears to show that the increase in the number of carts
employed for the purpose of effecting a forty-eight hours week
resulted in a longer time being taken to collect a less amount. It
may also be looked at from another point of view as a simple
arithmetical calculation:—If 386 men collect 1,061 loads in 3,926
hours, how long ought it to take 526 men to collect 1,139 loads ?
This works out at 3,083 hours, but as a matter of fact, as shown
above, it took 4,630 hours.
= an excess of 1,547 hours.
= 193 working days of eight hours.
= at 7d. per hour, £45 2s. 5d. in a fortnight.
= £1,173 2s. 10d. in a year.
I do not wish in any way to attribute the whole of this result
to negligence on the part of the Collectors, but, having very carefully
considered the returns, must admit that more time is wasted than
should occur in a regular collection. That this is so, is shown by the
table given below, which compares the collection on Wednesdays and
Saturdays during the past five weeks.