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77
Factories and Workshops.
The inspection of workshops is a subject which is discussed in some detail in the majority of
the annual reports, and from these it would appear that definite progress is being made, especially in
the districts in which the duty devolves upon one or more inspectors especially appointed for the
purpose. It must, however, be stated that the reports relating to a few districts make no mention of the
subject whatever. The other reports, however, show generally that a register is kept of the premises in
which work is done, and that these premises are inspected. In several districts a woman inspector
is appointed for the inspection of workshops in which women are employed. Such inspectors are
employed in Kensington, Marylebone, St. Pancras, Islington, Hackney, and St. George-the-Martyr,
in which districts two women inspectors inspect workshops and tenement houses. The results thus
obtained are evidently satisfactory. The medical officer of health of Lambeth endeavoured to obtain
the assent of his authority to the appointment of a woman inspector, but was unfortunately unsuccessful.
Kensington may be cited as an example of the advantages of the duty of workshop
inspection being made to devolve on an officer especially appointed for the purpose. An account
of the work done by Miss de Chaumont in this district is always included in the report of the
medical officer of health, but with regard to the inspection of workshops in which men are employed
and which do not therefore come under Miss de Chaumont's supervision, he writes: " Practically no
steps have been taken to give effect to the law. These inspections should be taken in hand, but
cannot with the present limited staff of sanitary inspectors." Similar obstacles to inspection of
workshops presents itself in Hammersmith, concerning which the medical officer of health states that
so much of the workshop inspector's time is devoted to dealing with smoke abatement that he has not
been able to carry out his duties as a workshop inspector to the extent intended when he was
appointed.
The steps taken to ensure the exhibition of cards in the workrooms showing the number of
workers who may be employed in them is mentioned in a number of the reports, and no reference is
made to any unwillingness of employers to comply with this requirement, except in the report of the
medical officer of health of St. George, Hanover-square, where, Dr. Corfield states, several large firms
object to the notices appearing in the workrooms. In several of the reports it is definitely stated that
employers are willingly complying with the law relating to workshops. The medical officer of health
of Mile-end, however, states that the necessity of first serving notices for the abatement of overcrowding,
and only proceeding for penalty if the notice is disobeyed, creates a difficulty which should
not exist, and that the occupier should be liable to penalty whenever overcrowding occurs.
Information as to the addresses of out-workers obtained in one district is frequently supplied
to other districts concerned; but the work would be much facilitated if occupiers of factories and
workshops were required to send to the medical officer of health of the district in which his premises
are situated a list of the names and addresses of the out-workers he employs.
In my last report I stated that it was desirable that medical men should be informed of the
duty devolving upon them of notifying to H.M. Chief Inspector of Factories cases of lead, phosphorus
or arsenical poisoning, or anthrax contracted in any factory or workshop. In 1898 the medical officer
of health of Hackney had communicated with all the medical practitioners in his district on this
subject, and the medical officer of health of Deptford has in 1899 adopted the same course. It would
be well if the same steps were taken in every district in London.
Bakehouses.
The annual reports show that bakehouses were duly inspected in the London districts, and in
one report only the subject is not mentioned. In many of the reports the number of bakehouses in
occupation in the district is given thus—Kensington, 134; Hammersmith, 59, of which 40 are
below ground ; Chelsea, 54, of which 44 are below ground ; St. George, Hanover-square, 41;
St. James, Westminster, 22; Marylebone, 93; Hampstead, 39; Pancras, 204; Islington, 246;
Hackney, 120; St. Giles, 24; Strand. 24; Holborn, 21 ; St. Luke, 32; City, 40; Shoreditch, 89, of
which 57 are below ground ; Bethnal-green, 103 ; St. George-in-the-East, 27, of which 17 are below
ground; Poplar (Bow), 29, (Poplar and Bromley), 66; St. Saviour, Southwark, 15; St. George,
Southwark, 52, of which 16 are below ground; Newington, 70; St. Olave, 7, of which 5 are below
ground; Bermondsey, 66, 18 of which are below ground ; Lambeth, 216; Battersea, 102; Wandsworth
(Clapham), 47, (Streatham), 39, (Wandsworth), 38; Lewisham, 98 ; Woolwich, 40; Plumstead, 38.
Places where Food is Prepared for Sale.
In my last report I referred to the action of the Strand District Board of Works in communicating
with other London sanitary authorities and with the London County Council as to the need
for larger powers of control over the sanitary condition of premises on which food is prepared for sale.
Subsequently, inspection of numerous premises by Dr. Hamer on behalf of the Council had led to the
conclusion that sanitary authorities should be empowered to require that food on such premises should
be kept under conditions which did not expose it to risk of contamination, and that in the matter of
ice cream there are grounds for justifying a claim for more complete control than in the case of other
articles of food. The medical officer of health of Shoreditch in discussing the subject gives account of
the result of inspection of 138 restaurants, coffee houses, cook shops, fried fish shops, &c., 93 of which
were found faulty in one or other respect. A large amount of work was done at the instance of the
sanitary authority on these premises. Dr. Bryett reports that the Shoreditch Vestry were of opinion
that special provision should be made for dealing with premises, or parts of premises, where food is
prepared, that premises used for the manufacture of food should be kept exclusively for that purpose,
and that the regulations as to dairies, cowsheds and milk-shops made by the London County Council 83