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229 [1912
As in factories, so in workshops, there is a very marked tendency towards the disappearance
of the small workroom employing one or two in favour of the larger. This is
especially noticeable in the laundry and dressmaking trades, and is to be attributed, in the
former case, to the inability of the small hand laundry to compete in prices with the larger
laundry employing power. In the case of the dressmaking trades, the enormous number of
ready-made robes which are now on the market have very seriously damaged the trade of
the smaller private dressmaker doing middle-class work, and I have been told by one of
these that they depend almost entirely on a few old customers of long standing, and on
"outsizes," for such trade as they still do. It must be borne in mind, however, that the
state of things which is causing their loss of trade is yet economically good for trade in
general. Women now find it possible to have many more dresses than in former years,
since they are now much cheaper and more quickly obtained, and this naturally increases
the amount of labour required. It is possible that this increasing demand for employees
will bring about a much-needed rise in wages.
There is no improvement in the attention which is paid to that section of the Factory
and Workshop Act which requires that notice of occupation should be sent to the Home
Office within one month of beginning work. It is difficult to see why such latitude is allowed
in this respect. Up to the present a large number of new workshops were discovered by
carefully watching advertisements for employees in the daily press, but as the Labour Bureaux
are becoming more used this channel of information is not so helpful as formerly, and it
is becoming more imperative that occupiers should be required to give the necessary notification.
Under the present Acts these notifications are sent to the Home Office, who forward
them to the local authority. 1 am of the opinion that it would be desirable that a duplicate
form should be sent to the local authority direct and in the first instance, and thus avoid
the delay of many months, which sometimes now occurs.
Cleanliness.—During the year 91 premises were found in a dirty condition, and 96
workrooms were cleansed during that period. A large proportion of these were laundries,
which require very frequent cleansing owing to the nature of the work and the deposits from
the fires which are constantly required. There is no difficulty in getting the work done,
and it is probable that in time the majority of those responsible for the cleansing will have
the work done at regular intervals without waiting for the instructions of the inspectors.
Want of Ventilation.—Seventeen instances of insufficient ventilation came under my
notice during the year, and 15 were found to have been remedied before the close of the
year. In all these cases the means of ventilation were ample, but were not used satisfactorily.
It is curious to note that those engaged in certain trades seem to be peculiarly averse
to fresh air, while other workrooms where the work is of a similar nature are on the whole
well ventilated.
Overcrowding.—Nuisances arising from this cause were found on 14 premises, but
only in one case to a very serious degree. As this was a new workroom, which had not
previously been measured, the occupier's plea of ignorance perhaps may be accepted. All
nuisances due to overcrowding were abated during the year.
Sanitary accommodation.—Nuisances were caused in 5 premises by insufficient accommodation,
in 60 by foul pans, in 88 by defective or unsuitable accommodation, and in 3
premises by no separate accommodation being provided for the sexes. Additional