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2
SECTION A
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
1. General Statistics.
Area in Acres l,390
Total Population (including
Service personnel) 39,940
Number of inhabited houses (approx,) 11,641
Rateable Value - General Rate £578,699
Sum represented by Penny Rate £ 2,369
2. Social Conditions.
Mr. P.R. Smith, the Manager of the local Employment
Exchange has kindly provided the following information
regarding employment in Kingston and the surrounding
districts.
"The employment position, in this Employment Exchange
area, throughout 1953 was better than in 1952, good as it
was then. At its highest the total unemployment represented
only slightly over 1% of what is estimated to be
the working population.
There is some long term unemployment affecting men
in the over 50 age group and it would be true to say
that at all times half the unemployed men are over
50 years of age. At the end of the year 25% of the
men registered as unemployed were over 60 years of age.
Retired civil servants, bank and insurance officials,
elderly clerks and shop assistants mainly comprised this
group but it also included ederly and physically handicapped
unskilled men most of whom are registered disabled
persons.
Aircraft, general engineering and building have
made the greatest demand on the available manpower.
The area is heavily committed to work in connection with
the defence programme and there is always a large unsatisfied
demand for skilled engineers and aircraft workers.
The main demand for women has been, as always, for
domestic workers in private households, and hospitals,
but work is always available for the right type in
factories, retail distribution and offices. There is
a tendency on the part of employers to impose an upper
age limit of 40 when notifying vacancies for shops and
offices.
Mention has been made in the Preface to this Report
of the surrey County Report based upon the 1951 Census.
The Registrar General indicates therein that at the time
of the Census there were in Kingston 13,823 males (occupied
and retired) aged 15 and over in the following social classes.
746 (or 54 per 1,000) Social Class I (professional etc.occupations)
2615 (or 189 per l,000) " " II (intermediate occupations)
7757 (or 561 per l,000) " " III (akilled occupations)
1238 for 90 per 1,000) " " IV (partly skilled occupations)
1467 (or 106 per 1,000) " " V (unskilled occupations).