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and did not constitute the principal means of livelihood, were not placed on the register as
workshops.
Under Section 107 of the Factory and Workshops Act of 1901, the employers of labour in
certain classes of work are obliged to send lists of places to which they give out work to be done
to the District Council in the months of February and August. These lists are examined, and
if the out-workers' premises are in our own Borough the addresses are handed to the District
Inspector to visit and report on, while those addresses which are outside the Borough are
forwarded to the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough in which the out-workers' premises are
situated. The classes of work in which lists require to be sent are those connected with wearing
apparel, upholstery work and such like, which are liable to retain infection should an infectious
disease occur on their premises. Premises where this class of work is done are thus under
complete control, no matter in what district they happen to be, and the spread of disease by
wearing apparel prevented.
The administration of this section is most important and entails a great deal of work.
There was considerable difficulty in getting employers to send in lists, and during last year
I communicated with those on the register, pointing out their responsibility in the matter, with
the result that several sent in lists who had not done so previously. lam not able to state the
classes of work for which lists were received since it is not the custom for the kind of work to be
specified on the lists received from outside the Borough, in which respect we are partly to blame
as our lists show the same omission. I think it would be well if all lists of out-workers
transmitted from one authority to another stated the nature of the work done.
Bakehouses.
There are at present 105 retail bakehouses in Bermondsey, viz.: 41 underground and 64
above. Of the underground 33 are in use and 8 not; 6 of these 8 were not in use at the time
the Factory and Workshops Act came in force, and 2 were not granted certificates as the
owners did not bring them up to the requirements of the Borough Council. Of the 64 overground
bakehouses, 56 are in use and 8 not.
The overground bakehouses were not subject to special legislation, so that they received
only the usual attention during the year, i.e., were visited twice as a matter of routine to see
that the regulations of the Factory and Workshops Act were carried out, and at other times as
required.
Underground bakehouses were dealt with specially by the Factory and Workshops Act of
1901, and were the subject of section 101, which reads as follows: —
1. An underground bakehouse shall not be used as a bakehouse unless it was so
used at the passing of the Act.
2. Subject to the foregoing provision, after the first day of January, One thousand
nine hundred and four, an underground bakehouse shall not be used unless certified by
the district Council to be suitable for that purpose.
3. For the purpose of this section an underground bakehouse shall mean a bakehouse
any baking room of which is so situate that the 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.
4. An underground bakehouse shall not be certified as suitable unless the district
Council is satisfied that it is suitable as regards construction, light, ventilation, and in
all other respects.
5. This section shall have effect as if it were included among the provisions relating
to bakehouses which are referred to in section 26 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891.
6. If any place is used in contravention of this section, it shall be deemed to be a
workshop not kept in conformity with this Act.
7. In the event of a refusal of a certificate by the district Council the occupier of
the bakehouse may, within twenty-one days from the refusal, by complaint apply to a
court of summary jurisdiction, and if it appears to the satisfaction of the court that the
bakehouse is suitable for use as regards construction, light, ventilation, and in all other
respects, the court shall thereupon grant a certificate of suitability of the bakehouse,
which shall have effect as if granted by the district Council.
8. Where any place has been let as a bakehouse, and the certificate required by
this section cannot be obtained unless structural alterations are made, and the occupier
alleges that the whole or part of the expenses of the alterations ought to be borne by the
owner, he may by complaint apply to a court of summary jurisdiction, and that court
may make such order concerning the expenses or their apportionment as appears to the
court to be just and equitable under the circumstances of the case, regard being had to
the terms of any contract between the parties; or in the alternative the court may, at
the request of the occupier, determine the lease.
In compliance with this, I and the Chief Inspector were instructed by the Public Health
Committee to draw up a set of minimum regulations to guide the Committee in the granting
of certificates.
On March 31st we presented them with regulations, and as a result of this the Council
adopted the following set of regulations which constituted the minimum which each bakehouse
must comply With so as to come up to the standard for a certificate: —
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