London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Chelsea 1931

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chelsea, 1931

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67
Bakehouses.—There are 20 bakehouses in the Borough, and 56
Inspections of these premises were made during the year. Five notices
were served for the cleansing of walls and ceilings.
Ice-Cream Vendors.—At the end of the year, 25 premises were
shown in the Register as places where ice-cream is prepared or sold
There were 31 inspections of these premises as compared with 45 in
the previous year. This trade is mainly regulated under the L.C.C
(General Powers) Act, 1902. It is an offence to store ice-cream in a
sleeping room or in any shed or room in which there is an inlet to a drain
Vendors of ice-cream must notify the occurrence of infectious disease
among their employees or persons living on their premises. The Act
also provides that every itinerant vendor shall exhibit on his barrow
the name and address of the person from whom the ice-cream has been
obtained.
The foregoing legislative provisions enable a Sanitary Authority to
exercise adequate control where the vendors and premises are known
but, inasmuch as ice-cream may be made under insanitary condition
on premises other than those where it is stored, it had Jong become
apparent that some system of compulsory registration was essential
applicable to all premises where the commodity is manufactured
stored or sold, and also to the itinerant vendors. Fortunately,
difficulty has now been largely met by the London County Council.
(General Powers) Act, 1928. Section ;29 of this Act provides that
premises used for the manufacture, sale or storage of ice cream or other
similar commodity shall be registered by the owner or occupier there of
with the local sanitary authority. Appropriate penalties are provided
for any offence against these provisions. Premises used as a hotel
restaurant or club are specifically exempted from the operation of
section, which is unsatisfactory in that complete control is thus not yet
possible.
Fried Fish Vendors.—At the end of the year there were 14 premises
in which the frying of fish was carried on and 18 inspections of the
premises were made. It is found that a reasonable standard of cleanliness
is now being maintained, but it is necessary for the Inspectors to
maintain a constant vigilance to impress upon the "vendors the necessity
for the systematic observance of cleanliness.
Inspection of Other Premises where Food is Prepared or Offered
for Sale.—The Inspectors keep under frequent observation all other
premises where food is prepared for or exposed for sale. Included in
this category are restaurants and premises used by provision dealers
butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers for the purposes of their trades
The following Table No. 39 shows, for the past two years, the number
of inspections of premises where food was prepared for or exposed for
sale.