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purpose of baking bread, unless so used before the 1st of January,
1896; but the amending Factory Act of 1901, goes a step further,
and requires in section ioi, sub-sections 2 and 4, that an underground
bakehouse shall not be used after the ist day of January,
1904, unless certified by the District Council to be suitable for that
purpose, and unless it satisfies the requirements of the District
Council as regards construction, light, ventilation, and all other
respects. Parliament has thus placed in the hands of the District
Councils an enormous power of prohibition (subject to an appeal to
a Court of Summary Jurisdiction), but the certificate once granted,
cannot be recalled. It therefore behoves the Councils to be extremely
cautious how these certificates are granted. The matter was carefully
considered by the Public Health Committee on my report, and a
circular was sent early in the year to every proprietor of an underground
bakehouse, drawing his attention to the terms of section 101
of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901. In October a second
circular, together with the schedule of the minimum requirements
insisted upon by the Committee prior to the granting of the certificate,
was sent round, and so far as we are concerned the matter
rests. A print of the circular and the schedule of requirements will
be found overleaf. Up to the end of 1902, not one single application
was made to the Committee to sanction any plans of proposed
alterations.
Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green.
UNDERGROUND BAKEHOUSES-AMENDED REQUIREMENTS
Factory and 101 (3) —An Underground Bakehouse means a bakehouse,
Workshop any baking room of which is so situated that the
Act, 1901. surface of the floor is more than three feet below the
surface of the footway of the adjoining street, or of
the ground adjoining or nearest to the room. The
expression, " baking room," means any room used
for baking, or for any process incidental thereto.
101 (4)— An Underground Bakehouse shall not be certified as
suitable unless the Sanitary Authority is satisfied
that it is suitable as regards construction, light,
ventilation, and in all other respects.