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108
three cases it was necessary to serve a notice before the work was
carried out.
Ventilation and Warming.
The chief difficulty in regard to ventilation is not to secure the
provision of a sufficient number of ventilating openings, but to
induce the workers to keep the ventilators open. Considerable
difficulty has been experienced in this respect, but in 1907, Mrs.
Fisher was able to report some improvement, especially in the case
of the younger women workers.
Nine workshops were found to be warmed by gas stoves that
were unprovided with flues to carry off the products of combustion.
This is a contravention of section 6 of the Factory Act, in which it
is laid down that the measures which in every factory and workshop
" must be taken for securing and maintaining a reasonable temperature
in each room in which any person is employed, . . . must not
interfere with the purity of the air of any room in which any person
is employed." In one case in which this defect was found, the
use of the workroom was discontinued; in 7 other cases the
warming arrangements were made satisfactory by the provision of
fires or of gas stoves fitted with proper flues; the remaining case is
being dealt with by H.M. Inspector.
Overcrowding.
All the workrooms in the workshops are measured by the
inspectors and the cubic space in each room is ascertained. The
maximum number of workers that can legally occupy the room is
then calculated and this information set out on a card, supplied by
the Council, which is hung up in each room. The number of legal
occupants varies according as overtime is worked, or whether the
room is used as a sleeping-room as well as a work-room. During
1907, 66 new work-rooms were measured.
Overcrowding was found in 7 instances. In 4 cases, the
overcrowding was abated immediately on the request of the Inspector,
but in 3 cases this was not done until a written notice had
been served.
Abstract of the Act.
Section 128 of the Factory Act provides that an Abstract of the
Act " shall be affixed at the entrance of every factory and work-shop,