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HOME WORK
During the year 80 lists of out-workers were received from employers in the
borough, 41 in the first and 39 in the second half-year. Those for the first half-year
are due in February, for the second in August. These lists contained the names
of 1,150 out-workers, of whom 808 were not residents in Shoreditch. The addresses
of those non-resident were forwarded to the sanitary authorities of the districts
to which they belonged.
The total number of out-workers reported was 2,200, and of these 1,387 were
resident in Shoreditch. These figures may be compared with the corresponding
figures of 2,203 and 1,398 for the year 1937.
As was pointed out in previous reports, in numerous instances names and
addresses of outworkers are duplicated owing to lists being sent in twice a year, and
in some cases the same outworkers are employed by more than one firm, so that the
numbers given above must not be taken as representing the actual numbers of
individual outworkers. The tables on pages 133 and 134 show the distribution of
outworkers as regards trades in the borough.
During the year 436 visits of inspection were made to places where home-work
was being carried on, and in connection with these 103 sanitary notices were served.
The cases of notifiable infectious disease occurring at out-workers' premises numbered
24 and included 10 of scarlet fever, 2 of typhoid fever, 7 of diphtheria and 1 of
erysipelas, 2 of pneumonia and 2 of whooping cough. The usual steps were taken in
connection with these cases by the officers of the sanitary authority.