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67
In 1901, a new duty, of a cognate character, was undertaken by the lady inspectors—
inspection of the kitchens of restaurants and eating-houses, which may be regarded as "workplaces"
—an expression not defined in the Act. The results of the inspection were summarised in my first
monthly report for 1902, which came under the notice of the Public Health Committee of the
County Council, who, in January of that year, had been instructed to "consider and report as to
the best means to exercise periodical inspections of restaurants and eating-houses." The Committee
expressed the opinion that it would be advisable for the Council to send a copy of their report, and
to address a circular letter, to each of the Borough Councils (except Kensington), expressive of the
Council's hope that they would cause the kitchens of hotels and restaurants in their districts to be
inspected, and exercise their power under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, for the removal of
any insanitary conditions that might be found. This was done, and now such kitchens, in most of
the districts, if not in all, are under supervision. The County Council, it may be mentioned, in
their General Powers Bill of 1904, made an unsuccessful effort to obtain increased powers for the
sanitary authorities in regard to places where food is stored or prepared for sale: such powers, we
may be sure, will, sooner or later, be obtained.
In the year 1902, the workshops in the Borough having become well-ordered, and requiring
less frequent inspection, the Public Health Committee, and the Council, assented to my proposal to
employ a portion of the time of the lady inspectors on other duties, of not less importance than
those for the discharge of which they had been appointed—to wit, investigations with respect to
infantile mortality and consumption, to which references are made in other parts of this report.
With this introduction, I submit the report of the lady inspectors, as follows:—
" We beg to submit our report for the year 1904, during which 69 new workshops were
added to the Register, and 114 were removed therefrom; the net result being a decrease of 46—all in
South Kensington. This decrease was chiefly due to discontinuance of dressmakers' and ladies'
tailors' businesses, a considerable number of which, opened in Coronation year, ceased to be
carried on, owing, apparently, to depression of trade, which further led to an appreciable reduction
in the number of ' hands' employed at the registered premises.

"The number of persons employed varies with the period of the year, being, of course,
greatest during the ' Season.' It exceeds 10,000.
"The several premises were inspected by us with variable frequency, according to the needs
and circumstances of individual cases; all complaints, and they were not many, received immediate
attention.