View report page

30
The work carried out to comply with these notices included the cleansing and repairing
of water-closets in 37 instances, the construction of new water-closets in 4, the
removal of obstructions from drains and water-closets in 8 instances, besides several
other matters. Limewashing of factories can only legally be dealt with by the
Factory Inspector, but defects in connection with the sanitary arrangements in
factories are matters within the province of the sanitary authority.
During the year 63 lists of out-workers were received from employers in the
Borough, 29 in the first and 31 in the second half-year. Those for the first halfyear
are due in February, for the second in August. These lists contained the names
of 741 out-workers, of whom 543 were not residents in Shoreditch. The addresses
of those non-resident were forwarded to the sanitary authorities of the districts to
which they belonged. Communications were received from various sanitary
authorities relating to some 1,665 out-workers, and of these 36 were residents in
other Boroughs, and their addresses were duly forwarded to the authorities concerned.
A table is given in the Appendix showing the numbers of addresses of out-workers
received from the sanitary authorities referred to during 1924.
The number of out-workers reported was 2,406 and of these some 1,827 were
residents in Shoreditch. These figures are below the average for the past five
years, and they show a decrease as compared with those for 1923.
As pointed out in previous reports, in numerous instances names and addresses
of out-workers are duplicated owing to lists being sent in twice a year, and in some
cases the same out-workers are employed by more than one firm, so that the numbers
given above must not be taken as representing the actual numbers of individual
out-workers. 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.
Some 1,144 visits of inspection were made to places where home-work was being
carried on, and in connection with these 129 sanitary notices were served. The
cases of notifiable infectious disease occurring at out-workers' premises numbered 33
and included 7 of scarlet fever, 14 diphtheria and 12 pneumonia. The usual steps
were taken in connection with them by the officers of the sanitary authority.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The notified births numbered 2,189, and there were in addition some 51 still
births. Of the notifications, 1,428 were received from registered midwives practising
in the Borough. In addition, 282 births occurring in institutions outside Shoreditch
were notified on forms sent in weekly by the London County Council. Including
these, the live births notified during the year were approximately 98 per
cent, of the number registered during the year as compared with 88 in 1923, 88 in
1922 , 98 in 1921, 85 in 1920, and 95 in 1919.
A summary of the work of the doctors and health visitors is appended (pp.
70 and 71). It follows on the general lines of previous years.