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77
With regard to sanitary accommodation the Council are
empowered to issue certificates of exemption from the requirements
of the Act in cases where, by reason of restricted accommodation
or other special circumstances, it is reasonable to do so. During
1935 such certificates were granted by the Health Committee on
the reports of their Officers in the case of 18 shops.
The enforcement of the Act presents problems, particularly
in relation to the requirement as to heating and sanitary accommodation.
It is obvious that the heating of a shop used for the sale of
perishable goods such as meat or fish, and possibly not even provided
with a shop-front, is a matter of considerable difficulty, apart from
the necessity of avoiding conditions which would tend to cause
damage to the goods exposed for sale.
Again, the requirement that sanitary conveniences must be
provided in the shop is a cause of difficulty in some cases, e.g.,
where the shop is small and a few assistants of both sexes are
employed. The Act does not require separate conveniences to be
provided for each sex, and the Committee, having this question
before them, adopted a rule that (other circumstances being favourable)
they would not require the provision of separate conveniences
for the sexes where not more than four persons, male and female,
were employed, provided certain conditions were complied with.
These and similar difficulties are being met with in every
borough, but there is little reason to doubt that with greater
knowledge of the conditions obtaining in London, and a pooling of
the experience gained, a common agreement will be reached as to
the best method of dealing with the problems.
Common Lodging Houses.
The Transfer of Powers (London) Order, 1933, placed upon the
Council, as from the 1st April, 1933, various duties relating to
common lodging houses and the enforcement of the bye-laws made
by the London County Council relating thereto.