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83
Council, and held in July, 1904, at the County Hall, on the Administration of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, passed an unanimous resolution expressive of the opinion "that female inspectors
should be employed in each borough."
In 1901, a new duty 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 inspection 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, 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 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 another duty, of not less importance than
those for the discharge of which they were primarily appointed—to wit, inquiries with respect to
cases of pulmonary phthisis (consumption). In 1905, moreover, the inspectors began systematically to
visit cases of measles and of whooping-cough. References to these several branches of their work
will be found at pages 21 and 26.
The report of the inspectors of their work under the Factory and Workshop Act, in 1905,
is as follows: —
"The number of workshops in the Royal Borough at which female labour is employed, at
the end of 1905, was 907: viz., 428 (mostly laundries) in North Kensington, and 479 (mostly dressmakers,
etc.), in South Kensington. During the year 78 new workshops were added to the register
and 96 were removed therefrom; the net result being a decrease of 18, all in North Kensington.

"he number of persons employed varies with the period of the year, being, of course,
greatest during the ' season': it exceeds 10,000.