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"Ventilation and Warming of Workshops.—In several instances we were able to bring about
improvements in the ventilation of workrooms, a matter which the Factory and Workshop Act,
1901, places under the control of the Council, and in a considerable number of cases we succeeded by
persuasion in effecting improvement with regard to temperature also. This, however, is a matter over
which the Council have no direct control, the Act making the factory inspectors responsible in
regard to it. Altogether, in only 28 workrooms (compared with 83 in 1903 and 53 in 1902), was our
intervention necessary on account of insufficient warming, or of warming effected by the use, in
the day time, of open gas burners or gas iron heaters, which impair the purity of the air. The
occupiers of the workshops, as a rule, take our suggestions in good part and act on them, but in
three cases it became necessary to appeal to H.M. Inspector of Factories, who gladly receives and
acts upon our representations.
"Sanitary Conveniences.—Our efforts are directed to secure an adequate number, and maintenance
of cleanliness, efficient ventilation, and a good supply of water to the conveniences provided for the
employees. In the course of the year, defects of one sort or another, were found in 77 instances,
compared with 69 in 1903. Three new closets were erected in North Kensington; and one closet,
opening directly out of a milliner's workroom, was partitioned off, and separated from the room by
a ventilated lobby. Insufficient sanitary accommodation for the number of women clerks employed,
was observed at a large establishment, which we regarded as a "workplace"; our intervention
resulted in the erection of sixteen additional closets.
"Overcrowding.—We had seldom to complain of overcrowding, partly, we think, because the
year was not a very prosperous one. But considerable overcrowding was observed at the large
"workplace" referred to in the preceding paragraph, which was ultimately discontinued, additional
rooms having been allocated to the typists and other clerks; for whose use, morever, a "rest" room
was provided. The employees now have at least as much air-space (250 cubic feet each) as the
occupants of "workshops" under the provisions of Section 3.
"Outworkers.—Little improvement has been manifested in regard to the returns of outworkers,
required to be made by the occupiers of workshops, twice in every year. As it is important on public
health grounds that the required information should be forthcoming, and apparently hopeless to
expect to get it otherwise, we propose in future to apply to the employers of outworkers for the
statutory half-yearly lists, due in February and August respectively.