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Routine inspections of these workshops were made, and complaints, from His Majesty's
inspectors or anonymous sources, received immediate attention.
" Ventilation and Warming of Workrooms.—It was found necessary in 18 cases to serve notices
to abate nuisances, arising from the improper use of gas ironheaters or of gas jets to warm
workrooms. It has been our experience that a large percentage of the women employed in workrooms
where heat is generated by gas without means to carry off the noxious fumes, suffer from
headache, cold feet and shivering, and, further, we have found in many instances that these
symptoms disappear if the gas heaters are removed or if proper provision is made for carrying off
the products of combustion.
" Overcrowding.—Fifteen cases of overcrowding occurred during 1909, compared with
12 in 1908, and 23 in 1906. On the whole there has been a marked improvement in this respect
during the last few years, and employers are now generally found anxious to have and display
the cards distributed by the Council showing the maximum number of workers allowed in each
workroom.
" Sanitary Conveniences.—In 25 instances notices were served to remedy defects in connection
with sanitary conveniences. One complaint was received from His Majesty's Inspector of
insufficient accommodation at a factory where 40 women were employed. In response to a notice
the necessary additional accommodation was without delay provided by the employer. In certain
basement workrooms which may be satisfactory in other respects, the provision of separate conveniences
for the sexes cannot be made without infringing the Bye-Laws of the London County
Council as to the construction of water-closets. In such workrooms, if the nature of the work
necessitates the employment of both sexes, the enforcement of the letter of the law inflicts considerable
hardship on employers whose staff is limited to three or four workers. On the other
hand the use of outside accommodation is in itself unsatisfactory, and any undertaking that outside
accommodation will be used is unsatisfactory, because there are no means of ascertaining
whether such undertakings are fulfilled.
" Basement Workrooms.—Following on the erection of blocks of flats in which the ground floors
and basements are let for business purposes, there has been a large increase in the number of basement
workrooms in the Borough. These basements, let at a high rental, are not designed for use
as workrooms; in many instances they are without flues, badly ventilated and so dark as to render
the use of artificial light necessary throughout the working day. By extensive alterations they are
brought into such a state that their occupation as workrooms cannot be prohibited under the existing
law, but it is much to be regretted that vested interests are in this manner being newly created
in a class of workroom which is the reverse of satisfactory.
HOME WORK.
" An analysis of the return made to the Home Office on " Home Work " will show that 1,035
addresses and names of outworkers were received on the lists sent in by the employers residing
in this Borough, and of these 876 were forwarded to the Councils of the respective districts in which
they were situated; the remaining 159 being in Kensington.
These 159 names and addresses, together with 314 received from other Councils, will, when
divided by half (since most, if not all are duplicates sent in twice in the year) give approximately
the number of homeworkers on the register of the Borough of Kensington.
Of the 241 out-workers so registered, some are employed on premises which are factories or
workshops within the meaning of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901; others work in domestic
workshops, whilst the remainder are the genuine "Home Workers" engaged in their homes on
the work given out to them by various firms and contractors in Kensington and other districts.
The number of outworkers belonging to each of these three classes is shown in the following
table:—