London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
67
At the end of 1906 inquiry was made of some 2,900 residents in common lodging houses as to
their professed occupations. As was to be expected, the unskilled worker was in the great majority.
Thus 540 were general labourers, and 381 were porters. If to this number are added 183 waterside
labourers, 116 bill posters and sandwichmen, and the labourers associated with particular trades, such
as painters and bricklayers, a total number of persons is obtained amounting to more than half the
number of whom inquiry was made.
Among the skilled workers, engineers, printers, cabinet makers and metal workers are in the
majority. Of professed beggars, there were 21,cabminders 50, "loafers" 9, and tramps 1. Six persons
described themselves as independent. There were 21 soldiers and 26 sailors ; of the soldiers most were
pensioners and lived on their pensions.
The principal classes are shown in the tollowing table :—
| Profession or occupation. | No. of Persons. | | Profession or occupation. | No. of Persons. |
|---|---|---|---|
| General labourers | 540 | Shoemakers | 35 |
| Street sellers, etc. | 426 | Engineers and labourers | 33 |
| Porters | 381 | Shoeblacks | 32 |
| Waterside labourers | 183 | Carpenters and labourers | 32 |
| Carmen and ostlers | 169 | Domestic servants | 27 |
| Bill posters | 116 | Navvies | 26 |
| Painters and labourers | 81 | Sailors | 26 |
| Tradesmen | 77 | Cabinet makers | 26 |
| Bricklayers and labourers | 61 | Tailors | 23 |
| Potmen | 53 | Firemen | 23 |
| Cabminders | 50 | Soldiers | 21 |
| Metal workers | 42 | Beggars | 21 |
| Printers | 38 | *Others | 321 |
| Clerks | 37 | 2,900 |
Homeless persons.
On the night of the 8th February, 1907, effort was made to ascertain the number of persons
in London who, being without homes, passed the night in the street or on the staircases of tenement
houses of which the street doors are left unfastened. This number in 1907 was 2,4:00, in 1904 similar
inquiry led to some 2,000 such persons being found, and in 1905 in the same way some 2,200 such
persons were discovered. An estimate made, as the result of the first two inquiries, that homeless
persons were in the proportion of about 1 in every 2,000 of the population, appears to approach
accuracy. It is interesting to note that on the night of the inquiry in 1907 accommodation in the casual
wards for 745 persons remained unoccupied, the total accommodation provided in London, which is
sufficient for 1,882 persons, being occupied by 1,137 only. Appended to this report is a more detailed
account of the results of this inquiry. (See Appendix III).
Seamen's Lodging Houses.
Under the provisions of section 214 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, the Council has made
by-laws for the regulation of houses accommodating seamen. These by-laws came into force on the
1st October, 1901.
In the following table will be seen the number of houses, the authorised number of lodgers, the number of convictions with the penalties inflicted, and other particulars, during each year since the supervision of seamen's lodging houses was undertaken by the Council:—
| Year. | No. of houses on register. | Authorised number of lodgers. | No. of day visits by inspectors. | No. of night visits. | No. of prosecutions. | No. of convictions. | Penalties and costs. | No. of cases of infectious disease. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £. | s. | d. | ||||||||
| 1902 | 97 | 1,665 | 2,842 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1903 | 102 | 1,748 | 1,956 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 7 |
| 1904 | 90 | 1,585 | 1,298 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 1905 | 77 | 1,509 | 1,509 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| 1906 | 84 | 1,551 | 1,431 | 38 | 9 | 8 | 43 | 7 | 0 | 22 |
| 1907 | 82 | 1,550 | 2,169 | 70 | 8 | 7 | 38 | 19 | 0 | 5 |
In the year 1907 proceedings before the magistrate were instituted in 8 instances, resulting
in 7 convictions, the penalties amounting to £30 16s., with costs amounting to £8 3s.
The number of cases of notifiable infectious disease reported in seamen's lodging houses were
five all being cases of scarlet fever. Of this number four of the patients were children belonging to
the family of one of the keepers.
On the 31st December, 1907, the total number of seamen's lodging houses under supervision
was 82, situated in the following metropolitan boroughs :—
* Including 1 journalist, 2 doctors, 1 comedian, 1 "kitchen lawye," 11 musicians, 2 horse copers, 4 slaters.