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89
adjourned until the Select Committee on Home Work had reported to
the House of Commons. This has now been done.
" In the above-mentioned Bill it was proposed that the premises
occupied by every home worker should be licensed twice a year by the
Sanitary Authority, after inspection as to its sanitary condition. This
method of dealing with the problem is condemned as impracticable. It
would entail an enormous addition to the staff of Inspectors, and would
place serious obstacles in the obtaining of work. The Select Committee
are of opinion that much might be accomplished by far less drastic
measures. Complete lists of home workers might be obtained by
requiring that every home worker must register his or her name,
occupation, and address with the Local Authority, and obtain a certificate
of such registration before receiving work to do at home for the first
time, such certificate to remain valid until any change of residence. It
could be made an offence for any employer to give out work to be done
at home unless a certificate of registration were produced. No conditions
as to cleanliness of persons or dwelling need be required as a condition
of registration. The certificate of registration should be issued immediately
the application was made, and no fee of any sort should be
charged either for registration or certification. As the offices of the
Local Authority would be the place of registration, everyone would
know where they were, and they would always be accessible without
delay or serious inconvenience. The aim would be to obtain Complete
and accurate registration. This would not supersede, but supplement,
the keeping of lists of outworkers by employers.
" The Committee are of opinion that it is desirable that the responsibility
of supervision as to structural and domestic cleanliness, in these
cases, should rest primarily with the Local Authority, inasmuch as
these are sanitary matters, and refer to dwelling houses; but power
should be given to the Factory Inspector to secure the enforcement
of the law if the Local Authority failed in the performance of their
duties.
" The recommendations in regard to this matter are summarised
thus
" (a) That all home workers who are employed by other persons
in producing or preparing articles for sale should be required to
register their name, address, and class of work at, and receive a
certificate of such registration from, the offices of the Local
Authority, and that the keeping of accurate outworkers' lists by
employers should be strictly enforced.
" (b) That it should be an offence for any person to employ any
home worker to produce or prepare any articles for sale by another
person unless the worker produce a certificate of registration.