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193
But in spite of commendable effort and intention it must be said that
it is almost impossible to maintain real cleanliness in underground
Bakehouses as they exist at present. Yet bread should be
made by clean workers, in clean premises, by a clean process.
Flour dust is of course unavoidable, but street dirt and shop
dust should be prevented, and personal uncleanliness should be
avoided. In not a few instances I have found dust blowing in
through the stallboard openings, dust and dirt falling through the
unceiled rafters and joists, all sorts of filth collected under the
fixed troughs, or workers quite innocent of personal cleanliness.
The Air of Bakehouses.—One of the chief grounds on which
underground Bakehouses are open to criticism is the unsatisfactory
condition of their atmosphere, and therefore it seemed
desirable that a somewhat careful examination should be made
on this point. Particularly was this desirable in that various
owners and persons interested have suggested to me that underground
Bakehouses were, after all, very healthy places, the air of
which would compare favourably with aboveground Bakehouses,
or indeed with the air of the street. Whilst it is true that the
onus of proof does not rest with the Local Authority whose only
duty it is to administer the Act, it has seemed desirable to
enquire fully into the actual conditions existent in Finsbury in
order the better to administer the Act in this particular Borough.
The examination of the air naturally divided itself into three
main divisions, (a) a chemical examination, particularly as to the
presence of carbonic acid gas (CO2); (b) an estimation of the
temperature and degree of humidity; and (c) a bacteriological
examination.
(a) Chemical Examination.—The following table sets out the
results of investigations into the condition of the atmosphere:—