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adopted for enabling the tenants to dispose of their dirty water and
slops with the same facility that they obtain the clean water. This
means the provision of slop-sinks for the discharge of foul water from
the upper storeys, and would in many instances necessitate structural
alterations to the houses, and, if enforced by the Borough Council, an
important extension of the scope of the work undertaken by the Public
Health Department.
Basement Workrooms.
During the year two basement workrooms in Sloane-street have
ceased to be occupied as such, and three new basement workrooms have
come into occupation—namely, one in Holbein-place, one in Symonsstreet,
and one in Sloane-square. In addition, I was asked to inspect
another basement, which it was proposed to utilise as a workroom, but
the conditions as regards light and ventilation were so unsatisfactory,
that I recommended that this basement should not be used for such a
purpose. There are at present, so far as known, in the Borough
19 basement workrooms occupied by milliners and dressmakers, with
accommodation for 167 workers.
The sanitary conditions of these basement workrooms are by no
means satisfactory in respect of lighting, warming, ventilation, and in
some cases aerial disconnection from water-closets. As stated in my
Annual Report for 1904, I am of opinion that regulations should be
made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, prohibiting
the use of underground rooms for workshops unless they complied with
certain conditions. If such regulations were in force, architects in
designing new buildings for use as shops on the ground floor and
residential flats or sets of chambers on the upper floors, would cause the
underground rooms to conform with the regulations, so that the shops
and basements might be let at the full rental value.
I would suggest that the regulations to be framed should require
(1) a certain proportion of glazed fanlight area (above the street level),
according to the floor surface of the basement room, a certain proportion
of this fanlight area to be made to open for ventilation; (2) that no
room should be used as a workroom, which has not some means of
through ventilation, either by a window, or through a door and
adjoining room with window, to the back area or courtyard; (3) that
the w.c. should not be in a vault under the street ventilating directly
into the workroom, or into an area which is only top-lighted, without
means of ventilation, and which either is part of the workroom or has a
window from the workroom opening into it; (4) that the w.c. should
not open directly or be ventilated into an underground workroom; (5)
that there should be an open fireplace and flue in every basement workroom;
or, if a gas stove is to be used, a proper flue should be provided
to carry off the products of combustion.
It probably would not be possible to make existing underground
workshops comply at once with the regulations to be framed; but it
might be feasible to apply the regulations to existing workshops after a
certain period, in the same manner as the Factory and Workshops Act
Sections were made to apply to underground bakehouses after a certain
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