London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Islington 1898

Forty-third annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington

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143 [1898
INSPECTOR WEST'S REPORT.
To A. E. Harris, Esq., Vestry Hall,
Medical Officer of Health. " Upper Street,
Islington, N.,
January, 1899.
Dear Sir,
I have much pleasure in again submitting to you a report of my work
during the year 1898.
I have paid 3,833 visits to factories, workshops and workrooms, in the Parish, viz.:—
1,749 inspections and 2,084 re-inspections. 133 notices have been served for the abatement
of nuisances and 50 additional w.c's have been provided. 105 workshops and workrooms
have been cleansed and whitewashed, whilst 877 other improvements were effected. You
will observe by the numbers quoted above that a great change in the improved sanitary
condition of the workshops has been effected and not without being a great boon to the
workers themselves. I may also state that where notices have been served, I have found
owners and occupiers, with only a few exceptions, willing to carry out the various requirements
with as little trouble as possible.
I have reported the names and addresses of 42 workshops to the Home Office not
previously visited by H.M. Inspectors of Faotories.
Bakehouses.—There are at present 265 bakehouses on the register, 3 having been
abolished during the year, 205 have been cleansed and limewhited.
During the year I have paid 651 visits to them, and it is satisfactory to note that there
is much improvement in their cleanliness. I may also state that several underground
bakehouses, although closed before the passing of the Bakehouses Act, 1st January, 1896, are
still kept on the register, because I feel it a duty to keep them there so that they may be
visited in due course with those that are occupied to see that there is no infringement of
the law respecting them.
Miscellaneous Trades.—As the accompanying table does not give details as to the
various trades carried on under this heading, I append a list as follows:—
Dressmakers. Pianoforte String Makers.
Laundries. Builders.
Tin-box Makers. Skin Driers.
Card Box Makers. Organ Builders.
Furriers. Fish Curers.
Printers. Dyers.
Engineers. Paper Stainers.
Paper Sorters. Farriers.
Rag Sorters. Tripe Dressers.
Screw Makers. Tallow Melters.
Cabinet Makers. Confectioners.
Smoke Nuisances.—1,093 visits have been paid by me during the year in various
localities in the, Parish for the purpose of taking observations of chimneys of factories
and workshops. I may state that during the great coal strike in Wales, many complaints
were received owing to the alleged difficulty of obtaining smokeless coal. Since then,
however, it has been found necessary to serve 10 notices on offenders, and I am happy to
say that they have not been served without good results following.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
GEORGE WEST,
Inspector of Workshops, §e.