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43
food supervision
Nuisances (or Offences) dealt with.—In 1919, 85 infringements of the Acts were discovered
and in 1920, 91—all were remedied within the year of discover}'. As will be seen from the
appended statement the majority of the cases requiring action were the result of the war—
1919 1920
Workrooms dirty 33 42
„ overcrowded 3 1
„ insufficiently ventilated 2 5
W.C. apparatus defective 43 37
No separate accommodation 2 3
Insufficient accommodation 2 3
The attention of the Ministry of Health has been specially directed to the need of new
powers to regulate the use of basements as workshops. At present nothing can be done until
a basement is actually in use as a workshop, after which the only course is to serve notices for
nuisances, which it may be possible to abate (at a considerable cost) but more often, not.
There is no power at present to prohibit the use of a basement as a workshop or workplace,
no matter how unsuitable and unhealthy such basement may be. Certain basements have
been opened which were damp, dark and insufficiently ventilated in which the provision of
lavatory accommodation was impossible except under very unsatisfactory conditions.
Sickness.—Although high prevalences of disease have been reported both in 1919 and
1920, the number of cases on workshop premises was small—26 in 1919 and 10 in 1920. In
each year the cases reported among outworkers numbered 5, 2 of the cases being in the
families of outworkers. The cases reported were—
1919. 1920.
Measles 21 6
Chickenpox 1 1
Whooping Cough — 2
Diphtheria 2 1
Scarlet Fever 1 —
Erysipelas 1 —
Bakehouses.—During 1919, 6 "level" bakehouses were opened and 2 "underground"
re-opened. In 1920, 2 "level" bakehouses were opened. At the end of 1920, there were
68 bakehouses on the Register (64 in 1913), 25 being "level" bakehouses (including 10 factories)
and 43 "underground" (19 factories). Of the 64 on the Register at the end of 1913, 16 were
"level" and 48 "underground."
The inspections made of the factory bakehouses numbered 165 in 1919 and 179 in 1920,
the corresponding numbers for the workshop bakehouses being 376 and 414. On the whole
the bakehouses are well kept and defects discovered dealt with as soon as pointed out.
In 1919 the Council adopted a resolution in favour of legislation requiring the "limewashing"
of bakehouses in the months of April and October of each year.
V.—FOOD SUPERVISION.
Slaughterhouses.—The same five slaughterhouses were in use during 1919-20 as at the
end of 1918. The inspections made of these premises, almost exclusively during slaughtering,
numbered 510 in 1919, and 320 in 1920. During 1909-13 the inspections averaged 458
per annum and during the following five years, 312.
The smaller number of inspections connotes a reduction in the animals slaughtered
which fell from an annual average of 4,434 during 1909-13 to 2,893 during 1914-18 but rose to
3,559 during 1919-20. Last year, however, the total was 2,482 as compared with one of 4,636
in 1919. The figures given below show the changes in the class of animals slaughtered during
the past two years as compared with the pre-war and war periods. The increase in the
number of calves seems to have been a short-sighted policy.
Annual
1909-13
Averages.
1914-18
Totals.
1919 1920
Bullocks 85 286 1,071 401
Calves 2 — 296 508
Sheep 4,347 2,607 3,222 1,545
In addition to the animals mentioned 14 pigs were slaughtered in 1918, 41 in 1919 and 12
in 1920, and 6 goats in 1919 and 16 in 1920. The killing of any animals other than bullocks,
calves and sheep at the ordinary slaughterhouse was forbidden until towards the end of the
war.