View report page

19
Adverting to the question of unemployment existing in the area and what
effect, if any, we can trace to such unemployment on the health and physique of
children and adults, the fact that you as an authority give free milk and free
meals to children of persons who are unemployed and do this with the consent of
the Board of Education shows that there is a general understanding that the
present financial provisions made for ordinary unemployed persons are not in many
instances adequate. I look forward to the time when the nutrition of people who
are unemployed and their dependants will be completely co-ordinated, when the
amount of relief will be adequate and be dispensed by one authority only and when
it will be only necessary for your special services to call the attention of that
authority to any special circumstances for a sufficient financial adjustment to be
made.
(c) Housing.—With particular reference to environment the considerable
programme you have in housing is a measure towards overcoming your housing
problem, but you have before you sufficient evidence that hundreds of houses are
required in Barking to overcome the evil of overcrowding. I do most sincerely
hope that the problem will not be regarded only from its local aspcct. Only a limited
number of people can live in Barking and having regard to the fact that Barking is
already a dormitory it seems to me to be unwise to overcrowd the area as a whole
when there must be hundreds of people who could travel equally well to the City
and elsewhere and live other than in Barking itself.
(d) Travelling Facilities.—Arising out of the question of the way in which your
industrial population travel, I have repeatedly said that the conditions under
which these poor people travel calls for adverse comment. These people travel
cheek by jowl in the fetid atmosphere of crowded trains. These conditions are
deplorable.
The irregularity of the bus services has been the subject of comment. On this,
however, I have not sufficient evidence, but certainly to see a large crowd of people,
tired after a day's work, waiting in long queues, in inclement weather, on uncovered
pavements is a sight which cannot commend itself to one who is interested in
public health.
(e) Malnutrition.—With reference to malnutrition our statistics only deal with
school-children and are as follows :—
Of 4,117 children examined by routine at school medical inspection, 74 were
found to be suffering from malnutrition ; of these, ten were referred for treatment
and 64 for observation. In addition, 21 children were specially examined from
the standpoint of malnutrition; of these, three were referred for treatment and 18
for observation.