Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. : Appendix Volume XXV. Statistics relating to England and Wales.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. : Appendix Volume XXV. Statistics relating to England and Wales. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    Westmorland— Occupations of persons relieved. 261. The principal textile industry in Worcestershire is the manufacture of carpets, and nearly one-half of the persons employed in that industry in England and Wales were returned in the county in 1901. The extent of female pauperism in the industry would appear to be less than in the other miscellaneous textile trades, and this may be due to the earnings of women employed in carpet-making being higher (13s. 8d. for a full week in September 1906), than in most of the other minor textile trades. In only three of the textile trades, viz., cotton, woollen, and hosiery, were the earnings of women above that amount. 262. In Westmorland the number of persons in receipt of relief was below the average :— Men. Women. Calculated without reference to ages or occupations (not including casuals) - Calculated in two age groups (not including casuals) - - - Calculated in various occupational groups (including casuals) - 100 -200 -100 -250 -350 -250 General observations regarding occupations of persons relieved in three provincial counties. With reference to the number of male paupers below the average it may, however, be pointed out that the number of casuals relieved in Westmorland is above the average, and that if they are included in the calculations, the number of men below the average is only thirty, when calculated without reference to ages or occupations. When ages or occupations are taken into consideration, therefore, the number of male paupers becomes still smaller than the average, and the difference would be increased if both could be taken into consideration. In the case of women in receipt of relief the calculation based on occupations - produces much the same result as that obtained if neither ages or occupations are considered. 263. The principal occupation in which the numbers were below the average was that of agriculture, in the case of both men and women:— Above or below the average. Men. Women. General labourers Agriculture - Without „ - - - - - - + 40 110 - 30 - 40 - 50 -160 -100 -250 264. The earnings of agricultural labourers in Westmorland were 20s. per week in 1902, and were much higher than those of the labourers in Norfolk and Worcester. 265. In regard to the three provincial counties it appears, therefore, that, taking into consideration the ages or occupations of the people, the extent of pauperism is not so great as would appear from an examination of the totals only, and would be still less if the calculations could be based on both ages and occupations. That is to say, the position of all three counties improves, as the figures are examined in greater detail. The County of Norfolk would still have a high rate of pauperism, but, corrected for both ages and occupations, the rate would probably be below the corresponding rate for London. 266. In the counties of Worcester and Westmorland the variations from the average appear to be due, in the case of men, to the staple industries of the counties. Thus, the agricultural industry and the metal trades account for the excess in Worcester, and the agricultural industry for the smaller numbers in Westmorland. But in Norfolk the excess of male paupers is chiefly connected with several miscellaneous trades, and includes a large number of general labourers, though the agricultural industry also con- tributes. In the case of women the variations from the average are chiefly found amongst women without occupations, and the large excess in Norfolk is almost wholly amongst this class. There is, however, in this county an excess of women paupers who have been domestic indoor servants, and in Worcestershire an excess in the agricultural industry and several miscellaneous trades.