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144
Metropolitan Borough of Poplar.
Public Health Department,
December 31st, 1902.
To the Medical Officer of Health.
Sir,—
I beg to present to you my third Annual Report of the work
done in factories, workshops, and among outworkers during the year
1902.
Seven workrooms have been overcrowded, three in Bromley and
four in Bow ; this is usually the result of carelessness rather than a
desire to evade the law, and has been abated in each case on serving
an intimation.
During the year one case of insufficient closet accommodation
has been reported and a new one constructed, in addition to the three
not completed at the close of last year.
By Section 107 of the Factory and Workshops Act, 1901, the
occupier of every factory or workshop, or of any place from which
work is given out, is required to send the names and addresses of all
persons employed by him outside to the Borough Council of the
district in which the place is situate twice every year. In conformity
with this section lists have been received from 45 employers in the
Borough. In addition 127 lists have been forwarded from other
Boroughs containing the names of persons who live in Poplar.
Fifty nine lists have been sent to other Borough Councils containing
the names of persons who work for employers in Poplar.
From these lists 1098 persons have been visited in their own
homes, and by this means a number of small workrooms and
domestic workshops have been discovered. The work is frequently
done in the living-rooms or kitchen, the state of cleanliness, etc., often
being unsatisfactory; but after two or three visits at short intervals
a marked improvement is seen, the women being very much afraid
of losing their work.