NEW LONDON

Evening Star, Issue 20687, 9 January 1931, Page 12

NEW LONDON

CHILDLESS CITY INFLUENCE OF SLUMS London is becoming progressively loss a city of children. More and more adults are tending to predominate among its inhabitants. In the days of Queen Victoria roughly a third of the inhabitants were children. When the war ended the proportion had dropped to a fourth, and since then it has fallen still lower, says the ‘ Daily Telegraph.’ Figures which indicate this ageing of London’s populace am given by Dr Kay Menzies, medical officer of health to the London County Council, n Jiis report ’for the year 1929. He records that in 1891 the percentage of children to tho total population was 82.6. By 1911 it had fallen to 28.8, and by 1921 it bad boon further reduced to 26.4. Since then tho decline has been increasingly progressive. “The births in London during 1929,’’ Dr Menzies 'i-.vs, “numbered 70,089, compared with 72,352 in the preceding year. The birth-rate was 15.8 per 1.000, as against 16.2 in 1928. This is the lowest over recorded in London, tho number of births being fewer by 887 than in 1918. when tho influence of the European War was at its height.” SPREADING OUTWARDS. It is estimated that the population normally resident in London has dropped from 4,524,000 in 1921 to 4.430.000 in the middle of 1029. This docs not mean that tho population of London is decreasing, but that it is spreading further afield into tho Greater London area; “During the period 1921-28,” states the report ,“ the -population of the county decreased by 55,000, and the number of houses increased by 30,000. The estimated decrease of 55,000 resulted from an overflow of an estimated number of 258,000 persons from the County of London, mostly to the outerLondon area. “As during tho same period the council erected 22,622 houses outside the County of London, it may fairly be said that, out of the total overflow of 258.000 persons from the county, 101,800 persons (at an average of four and a-half persons a house) were provided with housing accommodation by the council alone.” UNFIT FOR HABITATION. While improvement has taken place as regards overcrowding, Dr Menzies says: “Without any question, certain underground dwellings in London rre tho most insanitary houses to be found in tho metropolis. Them are, in diet, no worse housing conditions existing anywhere than those to be found in the underground rooms, in respect of which it is proposed to acquire additional statutory powers to enable them to he dealt with. “Tho most insanitary areas do not, and never have, provided such intense degrees of insanitariness as are to be found in the case of the underground rooms under consideration. “On a moderate computation not more than one-fourth of tho living rooms in an insanitary area are so grossly insanitary as tho worst type of basement dwellings in London. If the worst basement dwellings are selected for clearance!, 100 per cent, of utterly insanitary looms, quite unfit for human habitation will, in consequence, pass out of use. Never is this so in tho case of improvement schemes under which insanitary areas are cleared.” It is estimated that there are 30,000 basement dwellings in London housing sonic 100,1 (XI persons. FAIRY GODMOTHER. One point on which Dr Menzies speaks hopefully is that of the environment for London school children. “ .If,” ho says, “ health administration during tho next twenty years shows a record of progress as rapid as that of the past twenty years tho problem of environment should hnvo solved itself- Moreover, in London especially, the environment of the child to-day is incomparably hotter than at tho time of Dickons. “ Tho outlook of the child has been broadened in every way, and this has had a not inconsiderable reflex action on tho parents, with a direct resultant, effect in tho improvement of the home environment. One has only to study the public library records of tho classes of hooks now in demand to realise the vast improvement in general intelligence which is tins ‘ open sesame ’ from the prison of environment. “There is real romance in this story of tho emancipation of tho London child, wherein tho council acts as fairy godmother.” VACCINATION SAFEGUAHD. Tho interesting fact is disclosed, in regard to tho mild typo of smallpox which invaded London in 1929, that no vaccinated child under eleven years of age contracted the disease. Tho country is constantly exposed to risk from the importation of smallpox from tho East. Dr Menzies testifies to the splendid preventive measures undertaken by tho I’ort of London Authority. Tho prevalence of tho mild typo of smallpox renders tlioso precautions all tho mom necessary and important, in view of tho complications and difficulty which would arise in live event of the co-oxistcnco of the mild and more fatal typo of the disease.