London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Finsbury 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]

This page requires JavaScript

15
persons have had some employment, even although of a short duration,
and very few have remained continuously unemployed.

The Live Register at the end of the statistical year for 1938 was as follows :—

Men6,059
Women1,460
Boys60
Girls30
Total7,609

The above figures represent those persons registered at the
King's Cross Employment Exchange, Barnsbury Road, and, in
addition to Finsbury residents, include a certain number of residents
in the neighbouring Boroughs of Islington, Shoreditch, St. Pancras
and Holborn. On the other hand, there are a number of Finsbury
residents registered at the Shoreditch Employment Exchange,
Kingsland Road, E.2.
The main industries in the area have during 1938 been reasonably
brisk, but certain of the luxury trades, viz. : jewellery, have suffered
from the slump. Several skilled craftsmen in this industry have
found employment in the general engineering and aircraft industries.
The demand for juvenile labour has remained much the same
and there is still a heavy demand for both sexes of juveniles which
cannot be met, especially between the ages of 14 and 15 years.
Several firms employing one hundred or more workpeople
have removed from the district to areas on the outskirts of London,
and in the majority of cases have not taken their labour with them.
To balance this there have been a number of new factories erected
and occupied during the year, but no new industries have been
introduced. Certain firms have, however, commenced the manufactire
of goods previously imported and are meeting with a measure
of success.
Population.
At the Decennial Census made in April, 1931, the population
of Finsbury was 69,888. The distribution by districts is given
below. The population of the Borough to the middle of 1938 is
estimated by the Register General to be 56,960, which is the figure