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58
WORKSHOP SUPERVISION.
At 80 places the workroom was found to be used as a bedroom, a fact which entails an
increased allowance of airspace. "Abstracts" were not displayed at 118 workrooms, the
omission in each case being reported to the Home Office. Three hundred and ninety-seven
(397) nuisances of various descriptions were discovered, 359 of which were reported to have
been abated (See Table 35.). One hundred and thirty-three (133) notices were served, in
addition to many verbal intimations as to the defects or nuisances discovered. A great deal
of work—probablv more than that after notice—is done at the request of the Inspectors.
At one workshop, attached to a factory but occupied by a sub-contractor, a number of young
persons (women) were found at work in a stable where horses stood continuously. The
work wood-bundling was carried on in certain of the stalls not actually required for the
horses and in an adjacent, dilapidated shed. Men were employed in the yard, and there
was no provision of closet accommodation for the females. The occupier of the factory was
informed that the stables (and the shed, which was inadequately lighted and ventilated) were
not proper places for the work-people to be in, and that separate closet accommodation was
necessary for the women. He, thereupon, terminated the contract, and the women were
discharged—a regrettable result, but one which could not be prevented.
Complaints.—The Home Office forwarded 10 complaints, 18 fewer than in 1902. It is
satisfactory to record this smaller number, as it shows that the supervision exercised by the
Department is efficient. The complaints related to—
Defective Drainage, &c. 3 Sanitary Accommodation (mixed) 1
Dirty Premises 3 Insufficient means of ventilation 1
Overcrowding 2
These matters were duly attended to, in some cases the cause of the complaint being
remedied before the Department Inspector visited the premises.
Various complaints relating to work premises, to the number of 12* were received from
other sources, which are roughly classified below—
Dirty premises 4 Dampness 1
Sanitary accommodation 3 Gas fumes 1
Overtime 2 Ill-lighted workroom 1
The overtime complaints were passed on to the proper authorities; that relating to
insufficient (artificial) light would not be dealt with officially; while the others were duly
attended to by the Inspectors. Many of these complaints were received from the workers
concerned or their relatives. More complaints from these sources are likely to be received
as the Inspectors become better known, especially if it be recognised that the names of the
complainants are not disclosed.
Overcrowding.—Overcrowding was discovered on 31 occasions, as compared with 44 in
1902. Many of the cases were found on first inspections, that is, before the workrooms had
been measured^ and their capacity determined. Only one workshop presented any difficulty
in respect of overcrowding, and there the excuse put forward was, that the alterations in
progress made it difficult to keep the workers in their proper rooms. In no case was the
amount of overcrowding very great.
Ventilation.—It is not yet appreciated by all employers that not only must means of
ventilation be provided, but that such means must be kept in efficient operation. The
prevention of draughts constitutes a most difficult problem in ventilation, but efforts are
continuously being made to obviate the difficulty, and, on the whole, the workrooms have
been better as regards ventilation than in 1902.
* Thirty-three (33) complaints, not relating to workshops, were made to the Workshop Inspectors, including
18 in connection with visits paid in connection with infectious diseases.