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55
Common Lodging-houses.
On the 5th of June, 1894, the Council adopted a report of the Public Health Committee stating
that the Local Government Board had issued an order for transferring to the Council the duties of the
Commissioners of Police under the Common Lodging Houses Acts, 1851 and 1853, the order to take
effect on the 1st of November. The Committee recommended that the supervision of common
lodging-houses should be undertaken by the Public Health Department, and that a chief inspector and
eleven other inspectors should be appointed for this purpose. These appointments were made, the former
on the 31st of July, the latter on the 23rd of October.
On the 6th of November the Council adopted a report of the Committee recommending that their
medical officer and Dr. Hamer and Dr. Young be appointed under seal of the Council inspecting and
approving officers of common lodging-houses, in pursuance of section 8 of the Common Lodging Houses
Act, 1851, and section 3 of the Common Lodging Houses Act, 1853.
On the 18th of December the Council adopted a report of the Public Health Committee stating
that for the purpose of removal to hospital of cases of infectious disease occurring in common lodginghouses
in London, a medical certificate as to the nature of the illness was required; that in the
ordinary course this would be obtained from the medical officer of the union in which the lodging
house is situated, but that it might occasionally happen that the services of this officer would not be
immediately available. The Committee therefore recommended that in view of such event the services
of medical officers who are employed by the Council to attend the men of the fire brigade and the
main drainage workmen should be utilised, the Council paying a fee in each case.

Underground Rooms.
Reference to proceedings in connection with the occupation of underground rooms which did
not comply with the requirements of the Public Health (London) Act are made in the reports of
medical officers of health of many of the London districts. The illegal occupation of underground
rooms was discontinued in the following number of cases—Paddington, 1; Fulham, "a number";
Chelsea, 3; St. George, Hanover-square, 18; Westminster, 1; St. James, Westminster, 11; St.
Pancras, 21; Islington, 20; St. Giles, 22; Strand, 6; Holborn, 90; Clerkenwell, 36; St. Luke, 30;
Bethnal-green, 5; Whitechapel, 40; St. George-in-the-East, 19; Limehouse, 3; Mile-end Old-town,
4; St. George-the-Martyr, Southwark, 2; St. Olave, 6; Bermondsey, 3; Lambeth, 30; Greenwich, 1.
The medical officer of health of Fulham gives account of an appeal to the Local Government
Board in respect of one underground room. The appeal was disallowed, but the vestry took no
further action.
Workshops.
In the early part of the year I was informed by the Chief Inspector of Workshops of the Home
Department that his officers were inspecting workshops throughout London, and that notice was given
to the medical officers of health in all cases where sanitary defects were found that required remedy.
He had, however, no information as to whether these defects were remedied. It was therefore arranged