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and Turner's Varnish Factory. Both complaints appeared to me to be well founded.
The manure being made from fish refuge, coprolites, and sulphuric acid, gives rise, on
the mixing, to very offensive vapours; and, although means were in use to carry off
these vapours into the furnace, they did not appear to me to be effectual, and there
were occasions on which the escape of effluvia was not obviated. I have accordingly
suggested certain structural alterations in the works, and the adoption of mechanical
appliances, which are now being carried into effect; and although I can scarcely
hope that the nuisance will be entirely done away with, I look for its being
reduced to the practical minimum. With Mr. Turner I have had more difficulty,
in consequence of obstructions which we have met with from his workpeople,
who not only neglected to use the Heywood fan, with which they were provided,
but on several occasions impeded our entry for the purpose of inspection. The
serious representations I made to Mr. Turner have resulted in some improvement,
however, in both these respects, and, at my request, he has now provided a hotair
engine to work the fan, so as to remove the difficulty which invariably arises,
where mechanical appliances, for the prevention of trade nuisances, are not selfacting.
In the course of the year, an attempt was made to establish, at Belle Isle,
an offensive trade, connected with cloth-workers' refuge. In this instance the strong
representation I immediately made had the effect of leading to its speedy abandonment,
and the premises are now occupied, without producing any nuisance, by a soapboiler.
The only remaining trade nuisance I have had to deal with was one arising
from the japanning of wicker baskets, at some works established at Balls Pond.
I explained to the principals that this could not possibly be permitted; accordingly,
they applied to the Surveyor of the Metropolitan Board of Works, who permitted
them to establish the business at Belle Isle.
Two new sanitary statutes came into operation during the year. 1. The
Workshops' Regulation Act, which professes to regulate the hours of work of
children, young persons, and women, in establishments where less than 50 hands
are employed, and to provide for the use of a fan, or other mechanical means of
obviating injury to workpeople in dusty trades. An inquiry which I instituted here
has demonstrated that there exists, in this parish, a very large number of such
establishments as would fall naturally under the operation of this Act. The most
numerous trades are those of artificial flower making, millinering, and mantle
making; and it was thought, that to these, and especially to the first of them, it
would be highly desirable that the Act should be applied. The difficulties we have
met with, however, are such as have entirely prevented our taking any action to
enforce its provisions. First of all, the local authority has only power of entry
on complaint, and with the order of a magistrate. Secondly. When entry has been
obtained into a place where children are employed, there is no way of arriving at
their age, except by interrogating the children themselves, who find it to the interest
of themselves and their parents to tell the most palpable falsehoods upon this
subject. Thirdly. The permanent exceptions are of such a nature as render it