London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Walthamstow 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
This page requires JavaScript
9
The same relative position in England and Wales was occupied
by Walthamstow as a result of the 1921 Census and now, as then,
Walthamstow remains the third largest town in Essex, being exceeded
only by the County Boroughs of East and West Ham.
Walthamstow was, on Census night, the largest Municipal Borough
in England and Wales as regards population.
At the moment of writing only the .Preliminary Report of the Census is to hand and the full available comparisons with the 1921 figures are given below:—
| Year. | Persons. | Males. | Females. | Parliamentary Electors Autumn Register, 1930. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons. | Males. | Females. | ||||
| 1931 | 132.965 | 63,522 | 69,442 | |||
| 1921 | 129,395 | 61,824 | 67,571 | |||
| 1931, East Parliamentary Division | 63,023 | 29,628 | 33,395 | 40,324 | 18,890 | 21,344 |
| 1931, West Parliamentary Division | 69,942 | 33,894 | 36,048 | 42,314 | 20,748 | 21,566 |
Social Conditions.—The social conditions have not changed
to any material extent since those detailed in last year's Report
which recapitulated the main occupations of the inhabitants as
disclosed by the 1921 Census and which emphasised the industrial
nature of the Borough.
There is no known particular occupation which has any influence
on public health.
Unemployment.—The degree of unemployment in the area
during 1931 may be estimated from the following data kindly supplied
by Mr. W. H. Goodfellow, Manager of the Local Employment
Exchange.
The total insured workpeople of both sexes in Walthamstow is
approximately 24,000, and a test showed that roughly two-thirds of
the figures given below related to persons residing in Walthamstow
(excluding Juveniles).
The following data refer to the whole Exchange Area:—
| Date. | No. remaining on Register. | Amount of benefit paid. £ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | Total. | ||
| 26-1-31 | 5,950 | 1,893 | 7,843 | 6,078 |
| 23-2-31 | 6,148 | 1,863 | 8,011 | 6,280 |
| 23-3-31 | 6,098 | 1,881 | 7,979 | 6,467 |
| 27-4-31 | 5,907 | 1,883 | 7,790 | 6,181 |
| 18-5-31 | 5,743 | 1,876 | 7,619 | 5,950 |
| 22-6-31 | 5,848 | 1,817 | 7,665 | 5,965 |
| 27-7-31 | 5,739 | 1,826 | 7,565 | 6,022 |
| 24-8-31 | 5,960 | 1,724 | 7,684 | 6,029 |
| 21-9-31 | 6,257 | 1,610 | 7,867 | 6,268 |
| 26-10-31 | 7,012 | 1,740 | 8,752 | 6,226 |
| 23-11-31 | 7,194 | 1,447 | 8,641 | 6,302 |
| 21-12-31 | 6,971 | 1,194 | 8,165 | 5,997 |