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7
former are no doubt associated with the location of the Government
Small Arms Factory at Enfield, as evidenced by the proper
tion of gunsmiths. In Acton the number is caused by the number
of motor and other engineering works in the Vale and the northern
part of the area. The proportions per 1,000 of the total male
population over 12 employed as metal workers in the 4 districts
are as follows:—
Enfield 144 Edmonton 121
Acton 127 Willesden 102
Locomotive drivers are naturally found in unusual numbers
in Willesden, and 55 out of every 1,000 males over 12 years are
employed as railway transport workers, and Wood Green came
second with 37, and Acton and Hendon next with 32 each.
Among both sexes laundry workers are far more numerous in
Acton than in any other district. Among men over 12, 13 out of
every 1,000, and among women over 12, 188 out of every 1,000 are
employed as laundry workers.
The next highest district is Willesden; but even in Willesden,
where their proportion is not one-third of that of Acton, it is
higher than in any London borough except Hammersmith.
85.8 per cent. of all males over 12 years of age in Middlesex
are in some occupation and less than 15 per cent. are unoccupied
or retired. The 3 districts (with over 50,000) in which there is the
highest percentage of occupied males are Willesden with 88.1 per
cent., Tottenham with 87.6 per cent., and Acton with 87.3 per cent.
The lowest, though, Ealing, has a percentage of 84.2.
In the county 33.4 per cent., or a third of the women over 12
years, are employed in some extra-domestic occupation, and of
the total employed 17.1 per cent. of them were married or widowed.
In this respect again Acton occupies a high place, the highest
being Hendon with 37.7 per cent., and Acton second with 36.6 per
cent. The lowest percentage is in Enfield with 31.2 per cent.
In the matter of its number of married or widowed women
occupied, Acton occupies the unenvious position of being considerably
the highest in the county. 25.7 per cent., or roughly one-fourth
of the women occupied being married or widowed. The next
highest are Willesden and Tottenham with 18.4 per cent. and 18.1
per cent. respectively.
This feature of our vital statistics has been emphasised on many
occasions and is reflected in our returns, especially our infantile
mortality returns.
The phenomenon is almost entirely explained by the preponderance
of laundry workers in the district, and is not due to any
transient economic distress causing unemployment amongst men.