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63
WORKSHOP SUPERVISION.
The quantity of refuse dealt with on the Wharves was less last year than it has been for
some time.
Offensive Businesses.—In 1903 the County Council made an Order declaring the dressing
of fish skins to be an offensive business within the meaning of Sec. 10 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891. During 1905 by-laws for regulating the conduct of that business
were issued.
There is no offensive business carried on in the Borough.
Workshop Supervision.
By Sec. 132 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, the medical officer of health of
every district is required to "report specifically on the administration" of the Act within
his district. The Home Office issues special directions and tables (Table VII., Appendix)
indicating the information required. The system of work adopted by the Department,
sufficiently described in previous Reports, remains unchanged.
Registration.—At the close of 1904, 1,200 premises were on the Registers of the
Department. During 1905, 180 premises were added to and 93 removed from the Registers,
leaving 1,353 effective entries at the close of the year. The premises comprised 104
factories, 790 workshops, 15 domestic workshops, 385 premises occupied by single workers,
and 59 "workplaces." In addition there are 20 contractors' premises which are not
included in the total of 1,353. The classes of businesses carried on and the number of
workers are indicated in Table 41. The latter can be regarded as an approximate estimate
only, owing to frequent changes which take place from various causes.
Notices of 10 new workshops were received during the year from the Home Office, most
of which were already known to the Department.
Outworkers (Homeworkers).—Under the provisions of Sec. 107 of the Act lists of outworkers
have to be sent to the Local Authority of the District in February and August of
each year, and such lists are to be examined and particulars forwarded to any district in
which any of the outworkers reside. During the year, 84 lists were received from employers
in the Borough, containing 424 addresses of outworkers, viz., 44 in February and 40 in
August. The addresses forwarded to other Boroughs numbered 240, and those received
from, 183. The 183 addresses were received from the following districts :—
Finsbury 13 lists St. Pancras 3 lists
City of London 12 „ Fulham 2 lists
Kensington 11 ,, Shoreditch each
Hampstead 9 „ Chelsea
Marylebone 6 lists Hammersmith 1 list
Westminster each Islington each
Willesden
At the close of the year the Department's Register contained 272 entries of premises
occupied by outworkers, comprising—
Factory, 1; workshops, 97 ; workplaces, 2; and 172 "single workers."
The last alone are really within the definition of "outworkers." The total number of
persons working in the 272 premises was 592. (For particulars as to businesses carried
on, &c., see Table 41, where the figures relating to outworkers are shown in parentheses.)