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and the patient declines to go to the hospital, or where the hospitals
are full and accommodation cannot be secured. This clause
would affect out-workers.
Section 22.- Previous to the passing of this section, laundries
were included in factory legislation in a very indirect manner.
They were first mentioned in Sec. 2 of the Act of 1891, as one of
the places in which any "act, default, or neglect" in relation to
drainage, water supply, nuisance, &c., coming under the notice of
a factory inspector, was to be notified by him to the local authority.
Even now, their position is peculiar. They are not classed
as factories or workshops, except for the purposes set out in the
4th sub-section, which is decidedly vague. It seems, however,
as if such laundries as do not employ power, may be deemed to be
workshops, and regulated under the Public Health (London) Act,
1891. As already mentioned, the special provisions with reference
to infectious diseases included in Sec. 6 apply to laundries.
Section 27.—The prohibition of the use of an underground
bakehouse, which was not in use at the commencement of the
Act, i.e., 1st day of January, 1896, is the only addition to the
enactments embodied in the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.*
Section 32.—This clause requires that a "reasonable temperature"
should be secured and maintained in each room of a workshop.
It is not stated whether this comes under the head of a
sanitary measure, and there is no guidance as to the temperature
to be maintained, or the officer to see that the provision is
enforced. It is almost impracticable to fix a limit as to the
higher temperatures, as they must necessarily follow the temperature
of the air, but in winter it is reasonable to expect the
workrooms to be adequately warmed. A temperature 55o.0
Fahrenheit, has been suggested. Some further legislation is
needed as the manner in which the temperature is to be taken,
i.e., where the thermometer is to be fixed by which the reasonable
temperature is to be gauged.
*The local authority control only retail bakehouses, which are defined
in the 18th Sec. of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1883, to be 'bakehouses
or places, the bread, biscuits, or confectionery baked in which are not sold
wholesale but by retail in some shop or place occupied together with such
bakehouse.' If machinery be used the bakehouse would be a factory.