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this over other districts. That much importance cannot be attached to such migration as
adding to the death-rate of St. Giles appears evident from the following considerations:
There must be as many common lodging houses in the surrounding districts as in St Giles.
Secondly, it is found on enquiry, that people usually become inmates of common lodging
houses in the manner before stated, having been resident in the district previously. In
the third place, it has been shown that the actual number of persons who leave the
district is notably larger than those who migrate into it, and the probability therefore is
that more disease will be carried from the district than will be received into it; and
lastly, there are positive special inducements for diseased persons to emigrate, while
from the absence of hospital accomodation in St. Giles, there is no such inducement
for disease to enter the district.
Remembering what has been said of the sort of persons who find refuge in
common lodging houses, the disproportionate number of 11 deaths in them to every 8
deaths in other similar houses (1857) is only what is to be quite expected in the common
course of events, and by no means should drive us to the very debateable
explanation of the immigration of sick persons, an explanation against all sound presumptions
and one where all administrative responsibility is lost.
Section 8.—Model Lodging Houses.—It is to the Society for Improving
the condition of the Labouring Classes, that St. Giles is indebted for so many of
the valuable buildings. They are institutions whose larger acceptance would save
the lives of hundreds and reclaim the morals of thousands.
Accomodation is provided in St. Giles for 240 families; and for 211 single men
in the establishments of this Society. In the whole of London the exertions of Societies
and private benevolence have provided model buildings for only four times these
numbers; unfortunately, these institutions are not yet on a scale to exert a very material
improvement on the condition of a district, but as far as they tend in this direction,
St. Giles has cause to be thankful for its pre-eminent share of them.
The Model Houses for Families in Streatham-street, consistof 53 separate tenements
of one, two, or three rooms each, each tenement having its outer-door opening
upon the public ten-ace. The whole building is three stories high, and forms three
sides of a quadrangle; it is fireproof, and is furnished with every modern arrangement
for economy and health, answering every purpose admirably. The residents, as a rule,
are mechanics and respectable people: the rental of the houses is from 2s. 6d. to 6s. per
week.
The number of inmates at any one time is about 330, of whom a large proportion,—nearly
200—are children. The number of persons that live in the buildings
at some period or other during the year is of course larger, a house becoming empty once
or twice a month and being filled up by a new coiner. There is always a long list of
applicants for every vacancy.
The houses for families in Wild-court belonging to the same Society, are very
different from the foregoing. They are thirteen old eight-roomed houses on the two
sides of a court, which have been re-arranged and provided with proper sanitary appliances
by the society. These thirteen houses are let out in 108 seperate rooms at a
rental of Is. 8d. to 3s. a room per week. Each room is occupied by a separate family,
except that four families have two rooms each. They are in good demand, but there