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5
SECTION A
STATISTICS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
1. General Statistics.
Area in Acres 1,390
Total Population (including Service personnel 38,800
Number of inhabited houses (approx.) 11,695
Rateable Value - General Rate (1.4.58) £1,038,783
Sum represented by Penny Rate (Year 1958/59) £4,181
The total number of hereditaments is 14,232 of which
80% are domestic dwellings. There are 2,354 commercial
premises in the town being 16% of the total hereditaments.
The remaining premises totalling 425 are classified as industrial,
entertainment, public utility, educational and
miscellaneous.
2. Social Conditions.
The Royal and Ancient Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames
is a thriving market town situated in the County of Surrey on
the bank of the river Thames, and in the Greater London area.
The shopping centre provides the main economic function, but
there is also an important industrial activity mainly in Aircraft
and Engineering. Kingston is also a busy centre for
education and recreation, and is to some extent a dormitory
town for London business people.
An outstanding factor influencing the social conditions
is the fact of high employment and the Manager of the
local Employment Exchange has kindly provided the following
information regarding employment in Kingston and the surrounding
districts.
"In reviewing the employment situation in the area
covered by the Kingston-upon-Thames Employment Exchange
over the past year, it is worthy of note that despite the
general worsening of the national employment position
Kingston has been more fortunate. During 1958 demands for
all classes of labour were maintained although in later
months there was a decrease in the number of vacancies
notified for men in unskilled and semi-skilled occupations.
These demands were to a large degree satisfied except in
certain categories of skilled engineering.
During the year 4,897 men and women were placed in
employment locally and 287 in other districts, compared
with 4,662 and 283 in 1957. From these figures it will
be seen that 239 more men and women were found jobs than
during the previous year. In a year during which the word
"recession" was increasingly heard this increase in
numbers placed in employment is encouraging.
We hope that 1959 will provide as many opportunities
for placing people in work but at the end of 1958 there
were indications that things might be more difficult in
the coming year. Amongst these pointers were:-
At the end of 1958 there were at the Exchange
170 fewer unfilled jobs available.