View report page

123
puddings, bread and butter and peas pudding. The paper for
wrapping was found to consist of newspapers, newspaper posters,
pages from magazines and periodicals, advertisement handbills,
old time-tables, and old directories. In a few instances the paper
was found to be faded, fly-marked, greasy, or dirty. In dining
rooms it is common to use the daily newspapers which are brought
in to read by customers and afterwards discarded. In very few
cases, the paper in bulk was found to be dusty and much worn.
In one shop the outer sheets of the bundles were much mudstained.
The paper was usually stored under the shop counter,
occasionally in the living room, on a shelf in the kitchen, in a
cupboard under the stairs, or on a landing which in one house
adjoined an open W.C. door. In one shop the paper was kept on
the floor under the counter and was weighted down by old
mildpwed boots. In a few shops the storage place was very dusty,
in two shops dirty. In market streets the paper may be stored in
boxes under the stalls. These boxes were usually clean.
The paper was obtained or purchased from private houses,
printing establishments, office cleaners, proprietors of patent
medicines, coffee shops, public houses, auction rooms, newspaper
shops, or was left in dining rooms by customers.
The newspapers used were some of them 11 years old—the
majority were a few months old.
The proprietors of fried fish shops buy their paper from a
special dealer well known to the trade. For the sale of sweets,
small paper bags are in general use: they are very cheap and cost
4d. or 6d. per 1,000. In ham and beef shops the meat was placed
in grease-proof paper prior to enclosing it in an outer wrapping.
One shopkeeper advertised his shortage of paper in the shop
window and was thus able to renew his supply by buying from
neighbouring householders.
It was found, however, that enquiries are not usually made by
such buyers as to the existence of illness in the houses from which
paper is obtained, though it was sometimes stated that the proprietors
of the shops had a personal knowledge of the households
concerned, and it was not considered necessary to make such
enquiries.