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3000 less than when the census was taken in 1861, the rate of mortality has
been during this year 35.0 per 1000, or 1 in 28.5 of all living. In making
a comparison, however, of the rate of mortality of this District with that of
others, the deaths in the London Hospital must be eliminated, which this
year amount to 504. Deducting, therefore, the deaths in this institution from
the total deaths, the rate of mortality is 28.3 per 1000 or 1 in 35.3 of all
living.
Pauper Illness in the District.
The number of out-door sick paupers who have been attended by the
Medical Officers of the Union, has been 14,031.
Although it appears from Table VI. that the sick paupers are still very
numerous, yet, I have the satisfaction to remark, that during the last year
the number has diminished to the extent of 3386. This large number of
sick paupers, out of a population of about 76,000, need not surprise us when
the condition of the houses in most of the poor localities is considered; for
not only are many of the houses without sufficient ventilation, owing to the
want of open spaces at the rear, but the rooms are overcrowded.
In others, again, the floors, ceilings, and walls are dirty and broken; and
in addition to these defects, the roof in some of them is so delapidated that
the rain makes its way into the upper, and even, sometimes, into the middle
rooms, and the window frames are broken and without any glass in them, so
that the poor tenants are compelled, while keeping out the wet, to exclude the
light by covering the windows with sacks or old clothes, thereby rendering
such rooms unfit for habitation. Moreover, many of the houses are so old that
they cannot be extensively repaired, and are only fit to be taken down.
Under such circumstances, it cannot be wondered at that ill health and
pauperism should prevail so extensively in this District.
But how can the state of things, as regards the unfit condition of the
existing house accommodation, be remedied? It certainly will not be improved,
except to a very limited extent, by local Boards, in consequence of
the enormous expense that would fall upon the ratepayers, by any proceeding
on a scale sufficiently extended to remedy the evil.
The only way, in my opinion, of improving the worst localities in this
District, is to encourage the formation of public companies, who should
be empowered by the Board of Trade, without compelling such companies to
incur the expense of obtaining an Act of Parliament, to purchase, under compulsory
powers, such plots of ground as are now covered with houses which
are deemed to be unfit for habitation, and to enable such company to clear the
ground and to erect on the sites so cleared suitable dwellings for the laboring
population. From the rents which are now paid for the existing houses, I
believe that a public company, organized for the purpose of improving the
dwellings of the poor, would be able to pay its shareholders a fair dividend,
even should the present unjust mode of assessing the rental of premises for
the poor rate be continued; but if the rate for the poor were to be charged