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12
Very much attention has been given for some years past
towards improving the dwellings of the poor, and, indeed, special
legislation has been introduced with this object in view. It is
therefore of interest, to review, so far as we are able, the results of
work in this direction. In our own District, for instance, it
appears that the inhabitants of Model Dwellings constitute 13.3
per cent. of the estimated population, and the deaths bear almost
exactly the same proportion to the total deaths as they bear for
the entire District. Such a result, therefore, does not indicate
the happy condition which, a priori, one would have looked for,
when it is taken into consideration that a choice of selection of
tenants is possible in the one case, which is of course impossible in
the other case. Then, again, when the specific causes of death
are inquired into, it is found that, so far as Zymotic diseases are
concerned, the per centage of deaths to total deaths in Model
Dwellings is 18 per cent. against 14.63 per cent. for the whole
District. Constitutional diseases, also, when examined in the
same way, are 23.7 per cent. in Model Dwellings, and 20.31 per
cent. for the whole District.
Then notice the per centage of deaths for each age period,
and contrast the result with the table which I have given for the
whole district.
23.6 of the total deaths took place under the age of 1 year.
28.6 „ „ „ between the ages of 1 and 5 years.
6.9 „ „ „ „ „ 5 „ 20 „
9.4 „ „ „ „ „ 20 „ 40 „
12.2 „ „ „ „ „ 40 ,, 60 ,,
8.1 „ „ „ „ „ 60 ,, 80 ,,
0.8 „ ,, „ over the age of 80 ,,
I am of course aware that, to draw safe conclusions, it is
necessary to know the ages of those persons who are living. Yet
the factors which I have introduced for your consideration, certainly
to my mind, seem to indicate that the whole subject should
very seriously be investigated. It is of immense moment to
determine whether the multiplication of huge barracks in the
Metropolis really tends to benefit the masses. It may be that the
outcome of a strictly exhaustive inquiry will point rather towards
providing for the artizan class outside the Metropolitan area
altogether.