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53
"So far as existing law permits, everything possible is done by
this Authority to keep the standard of cleanliness and sanitation
up to a fair level, but it must be added that the existing legal
standard is unfortunately not high, and the difficulties of administration
are considerably enhanced by the fact that in addition to
the regrettable ignorance of large numbers of the workers on all
questions relating to domestic and personal hygiene, the facilities
provided in the workers' dwellings are so unsuitable and absurdly
inadequate that any really high standard of cleanliness is difficult
to obtain and only rarely found.
"With regard to the question of prices paid, it may be said
generally that we have some of the worst and lowest paid labour
as well as some of the best and highest priced.
"For the information of your Honourable Commission I have
made recent enquiries, and submit here some prices paid for the
making of various articles. I purposely omit mentioning the
names of either the factory proprietor or the worker, but these
figures may be taken as authentic, and were in fact obtained
by members of our staff, and by myself personally.