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County Borough of West Ham.
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MEDICAL OFFICER
OF HEALTH
FOR THE YEAR 1928.
Natural and Social Conditions.
The County Borough of West Ham is situated in
the south western portion of the County of
Essex. It measures four miles from north to
south and some two miles from east to west,
and comprises an area of seven and a half square
miles. It is bounded on the east by the Borough
of East Ham, on the north by the Borough of
Leyton and on the west by the administrative
County of London, from which it is separated by the River Lea
and Bow Creek. The southern boundary is formed by the River
Thames.
West Ham is a densely populated industrial town, having
67 people to the acre. It is a hive of industry comprising numerous
large factories which among other things manufacture glue,
leather, rubber, sugar, glass, soap, fertilisers and chemicals.
There are extensive docks within its area, where ships with
merchandise from all parts of the world discharge their cargoes.
This naturally implies that there is a large number of casual
labourers who dwell near the docks. The Borough is a dormitory
for the large number of the populace who work in London and
district. It is obvious therefore that the wellbeing and prosperity
of the inhabitants depend to an extraordinary degree upon the
activities and prosperity of the industrial world.
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