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47
The following is the Report of the Sanitary Inspector of Workshops for
Women:—
To the Medical Officer of Health.
13th January, 1900.
Sir,
I beg to submit a report of the work done by the Woman Sanitary
Inspector of Workshops for the year 1899.
During the period, 1st January to 10th March, Miss Vines was occupied
in finishing the winter inspection of workshops, and had begun the first halfyearly
inspection of Laundries.
Since the 11th of July I have inspected the following:—
Workshops.—Three hundred and twenty on register. I paid 594 visits,
completing a summer inspection, and have begun the winter inspection.
The 11th of July was too late to begin the summer inspection, the rush of
summer work being over, and in August the majority of workshops were
either closed for holidays or working with a very reduced staff.
Thirty-five workshops have been added to the register since July, while
56 have been taken off owing to removal or giving up business or ceasing to
employ hands.
Laundries.—One hundred and twenty on register. I paid 134 visits in
the summer inspection Work was very slack, owing to customers being at
the sea-side.
Factories.—Fighty-two on register. I completed the annual inspection
of factories in September
Schools.—Twenty-eight public schools, 89 public elementary, making a
total of 112. In the public elementary schools (girls and infants) I found in
the majority of cases there was sufficient number of sanitary conveniences
and that they were in good order. In one school additional and separate
sanitary accommodation was required and has been provided; in a few
other schools the w.c.'s were not kept in a cleanly condition; this has been
improved on being pointed out to managers. The sanitary accommodation in
Board Schools varies greatly and is not always up to the standard of 1 to 20,
but is probably in accordance with the School Board's complicated standard.
Outworkers' Lists.—I have visited 100 shops and copied 53 lists of
outworkers. In no shop did I see a list kept on the prescribed form. I left
a copy of the Secretary of State's Order II. with each employer, with a view
to their obtaining proper forms for future use. Tailors are the chief
employers of out-door labour, and a few bootmakers. Of the 125 names or
lists, about half were in St. Pancras, the rest were distributed among 18
Districts, the majority (tailors' out-workers) being in Whitechapel.