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I am sorry to say that at the present time
nothing is known which can prevent the one death which
occurred among those women who had availed themselves
of' your ante-natal service. Fortunately, deaths from
this cause are relatively rare.
One other woman who was pregnant died; in her
case however, the death was due to tuberculosis and
may not be deemed to be a maternal death.
Sad as we are to report on so many deaths, it
must nevertheless be a matter of gratification to you
that whereas 1,114 women availed themselves of your
services, one only died.
(4) SOCIAL CONDITIONS.
(a) General.
Last year I brought to your serious consideration
that the outbreak of war had resulted in the public being
less and less interested in preventive medicine than it
had been heretofore.
It is with pleasure I report as you yourself
will see from the statistics that the work has returned
very nearly to normal and I have pleasure in advising
you that members of the public generally have resumed
their previous determination to interest themselves in
their own health and the health of the rising generation.
(b) Schemes of Relief.
In my previous reports I have written almost
regularly on the need there is for unification and
simplification of these Schemes and I do hope the time
is opportune for these scales to be revised.
(c) Unemployment.
Barking is a dormitory town and employment has
been changed considerably by the War. The Ministry of
Labour and National Service is unable this year to give
detailed classification of the unemployed as at December
1940, but the following shows the position in total
Number unemployed at December 1940 in Barking.
Men Women Total
405 610 1015
The following is an extract of a communication
1 have received from the Local Branch of the Ministry of
Labour and National Service
"Practically all the men were of the general
labouring, Dockers, and Road and Transport Classifications.
"The women were mostly Factory Hands.
"In comparison with the figures for the previous
December, the reduction of unemployment in men is very
noticeable and is entirely due to absorption into vital
industries.
"It mast be-appreciated that since the date of
the statistics shewn above and the issue of this report,
practically all local unemployed have been absorbed into
vital industries, and it should further be appreciated
that the demand far labour continues."
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