London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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25
Outworkers
The following table shows the nature of the work carried out by the 278 home workers on the register of outworkers during 1951
| Nature of work | Number |
|---|---|
| Wearing apparel - making, etc. | 199 |
| Fur pulling | 1 |
| Curtains, etc. | 2 |
| Paper bags, etc. | 26 |
| Umbrellas | 1 |
| Feather sorting | 5 |
| Carding etc. of buttons, etc. | 15 |
| Stuffed toys | 23 |
| Cosaques, crackers, stockings, etc. | 1 |
| Furniture and upholstery | 1 |
| Lampshades | 2 |
| Box making | 1 |
| Textile weaving | 1 |
| 278 |
During the year, 295 inspections of outworkers'
premises were made, but in no case was action necessary
to prevent work being carried on in unwholesome premises.
No instance of infectious disease occurring in premises,
where home work is carried on, was reported during the year.
Rag Flock and other Filling Materials Act. 1951
This Act came into operation on 1st November, 1951,
and regulates the use of clean filling materials in
upholstered articles and other articles which are stuffed
or lined.
Subject to certain exceptions, the Act makes it unlawful
in the course of a business to use filling materials to which
the Act applies except on premises registered by a local
authority. The exceptions are the remaking or reconditioning
of any article and upholstering in connection with the making
of railway carriages, road vehicles, ships or aircraft. The
local authority are required, on the application of the occupier
of premises, to register the premises on payment of a
registration fee of one pound. If on registered premises there
are unclean filling materials the occupier shall be guilty of
an offence, but there are safeguarding provisions for
secondhand articles brought on the premises for remaking.
The Act provides that no rag flock shall be delivered to
registered premises except from premises licensed for
manufacturing rag flock or premises licensed under the Act as
a rag flock store. A local authority on receiving from the
occupier of premises an application for the grant or renewal
of a licence authorising him to manufacture rag flock on those
premises, or for the licensing of the premises as a rag flock
store, may grant or renew a licence on payment of a fee of one
pound. Licences are to be renewed annually. No new licence
is to be granted until the premises have been inspected and
reported upon. A person aggrieved by a refusal of a licence
has a right of appeal to the Minister of Local Government and
Planning.
The Act makes it an offence to sell or offer for sale
any article to which the Act applies which is upholstered
with unclean filling materials; secondhand articles are
excepted.