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50
During the year 112 lists of outworkers were received from employers in
the Borough, 53 in the first half-year, and 59 in the second. These lists contained
the names of 1,823 outworkers of whom 1,113 were not residents in
Shoreditch. The addresses of those non-resident were forwarded to the authorities
of the sanitary districts to which they belonged. Communications were
received from a number of sanitary authorities relating to 2,958 out-workers, 267
of whom were residents of other boroughs and their addresses were forwarded to
the authorities concerned. A table is appended which gives the numbers of
addresses of outworkers received from the sanitary authorities referred to during
1909.
The number of out-workers brought to our notice during 1909 was 4,781
as compared with 4,185 in 1908, 4,578 in 1907, and 2,975 in 1906. Of these
3,401 were residents in Shoreditch as compared with 2,985 in 1908, 3,431
in 1907, and 2,259 in 1906. In respect to these figures it is to be noted that
in many instances names and addresses of out-workers are duplicated owing to
lists being sent in twice a year and in a number of instances the same outworkers
are employed by more than one firm. As mentioned in previous
reports the numbers given above are far from representing the actual numbers
of individual outworkers.
Tables are appended showing the distribution of out-workers as regards
trades in the Borough. Most of them are engaged in work connected with
the making of wearing apparel, artificial flowers, paper bags, and boxes, and
brushes.
During the year some 2,325 visits of inspection were made to places where
home-work was carried on and sanitary notices were served in respect to 177
out-workers' premises. The work carried out to comply with these notices included
the construction, reconstruction, or repair of drains in 5 instances, the
disconnection from the drains of sink waste pipes in 4, the disconnection of
stack pipes in 2, the reinstatement of stackpipes in 23, and of eaves gutters in
26, the paving of yards in 18, of sculleries in 3 and areas in 2, the reconstruction
of water-closets in 5 and the repair of flushing apparatus in 31 and other work in
connection with the water supplies in 14 instances ; 282 rooms, 36 yards, and
45 water-closets were cleansed and whitewashed, repairs were effected in connection
with roofs in 32 instances, floors in 7, stairs 4, doors 4, and window
sashes 4, and in 26 instances dust receptacles were provided. Four cases of
overcrowding were dealt with in connection with out-workers' premises, and
in 6 instances works for the improvement of light and ventilation were carried
out.