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workshop by virtue of this Section." The 78th Section enacts, " In
the event of a contravention of this Section in a factory or workshop,
the occupier of the factory or workshop shall be liable to a fine not
exceeding forty shillings." It will be seen further on in the Act,
Section 22, that laundries carried on by way of trade or for purpose
of gain are subject to the Factory Acts, and that laundries where
there is no machinery are workshops, and therefore come under the
inspection of the Sanitary Authority, who will have to enforce the
Act in these premises.
H.M. Inspector of Factories prosecutes under the Factory Act for
the absence of the notice, and the sanitary authority prosecutes for
the overcrowding under the Public Health (London) Act, therefore,
it seems right that the officers of the local authority ought to inform
H.M. Inspector whenever they find the necessary notices not affixed
in workshops.
The Section relating to overcrowding does not specify (1) the
minimum of floor space, nor the maximum of height in the stated
amount of cubic space to be provided for each person—(2) the
minimum of height of any room to be used as a workshop ; and (3)
the precise quantity of gas, oil, candle or other illuminant which shall
count as one person in regard to vitiation of air.
In calculating cubic space it is customary to assume that three gas
burners count as one person, but considering that a common small
gas burner will burn 3 feet per hour, and that a cubic foot of good
coal gas produces about 2 cubic feet of carbonic acid, and other
substances may also be formed, and whereas man in work exhales
from 0.95 to 1.96 cubic feet of carbonic acid per hour, and in workshops
there inay be large burners, prima facie, three gas burners
counting as one person are certainly too many. In calculating cubic
space in respect to overcrowding it is usual not to take into consideration
any height over 14 feet.
Section (2) Power is given to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction, on