London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1902
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1903
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148
The modern tendency to make the most of land in large
towns by burrowing under the surface should, in the interest
of public health, be strongly resisted. Man is adapted for life
on the surface of the earth and not beneath it, and the habits
of the cave-dweller are out of place in modern civilization.
There are 30 underground workrooms in the Battersea
workshops and workplaces, not counting underground bakehouses,
and the number in each trade is given below.
WORKSHOPS.
| Trade. | No. of Underground Workrooms. |
|---|---|
| Laundries | 5 |
| Dressmaking | 2 |
| Embroidery | 1 |
| Picture frame making | 3 |
| Cycle making | 1 |
| Tailoring | 1 |
WORKPLACES.
| Restaurant kitchens | 7 |
| Meat-chopping | 2 |
| Small exempted laundries | 8 |
Out-workers.
The Factory Act of 1901 provides that in certain trades
to be specified by the Home Secretary, the employers shall
twice a year send to the Sanitary Authority lists of the outworkers
employed by them. The trades so far specified by
the Home Secretary are as follows:—
The making, cleaning, washing, altering, ornamenting,
finishing and repairing of wearing apparel and any
work incidental thereto;
The making, ornamenting and finishing of lace and of
lace curtains and nets;
Cabinet and furniture making and upholstery work;
The making of electro-plate;
The making of files;