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84
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1910.
Dr. Brown gives account of the circumstances of the family in a number of cases of overcrowding
in Bermondsey which were inquired into by him. There can be no doubt that in many of these cases
the overcrowding was due to the inability of the family to pay for additional accommodation. On the
question of sufficiency of accommodation Dr. Thomas states that in Finsbury one room was found
empty for every 12 occupied in the houses in which overcrowding occurred.
Factory and Workshop Act, 1901.
The Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, requires every medical officer of health to report specifically
on the administration in his district of those provisions of the Act the administration of which
is imposed upon sanitary authorities, and a form of table is prescribed by the Home Secretary for the
exhibition of those particulars which lend themselves to statistical statement. From such tabulated
statements contained in the annual reports of medical officers of health of metropolitan boroughs a
summary table has been prepared for the year 1910. (See Appendix I.)
Comparison of the figures illustrating the work done in 1910 and those of antecedent years, shows
that the number of workshops in London under inspection differs but little in the several years, and
that in respect of numbers of inspections the year 1910 shows some increase. Again, the number
of defects, whether total or particular defects, shows verv little variation from vear to year.

The use of underground or basement rooms as workshops or workplaces is discussed in several of the
annual reports of medical officers of health. Dr. Parkes states that there are 52 basement rooms in Chelsea
with accommodation for about 400 workers. He says that the sanitary condition of these basement
workrooms are by no means satisfactory in respect of lighting, warming, ventilation and, in some cases,
aerial disconnection from waterclosets. He reiterates his opinion expressed in his annual reports for
1904-9 that the use of underground rooms for workshops should be prohibited unless they complied
with certain conditions which should be prescribed in regulations applying to all new underground
workrooms and to existing underground workrooms after a certain period. Dr. Porter discusses
steps he took in his endeavours to prevent badly lighted and badly ventilated underground
workrooms being used in St. Marylebone. The unsatisfactory condition of underground' kitchens
used as workplaces is referred to in the reports relating to Islington and the City. Dr. Collingridge states
that the majority of basement kitchens in the City are entirely unsuited to the purpose for which they
are used, and he recommends that the occupiers should be required to give notice to the sanitary authority
of intention to use such rooms, and that restriction should be placed upon their occupation. The failure
of employers to send in lists of outworkers is a subject of comment in some of the reports. The Kensington
Borough Council, Dr. Sandilands states, prosecuted two employers failing in this respect, and
subsequently informed all others that in future like proceedings would be instituted without
notice in cases of default. Dr. Allan writes that less trouble has been experienced in this matter in
Westminster since the City Council has adopted the practice of sending to the employers forms to
be filled in by them. The use of gas stoves, unprovided with flues, is shown by the annual reports
to be a subject which still requires constant attention. Eight such stoves were found in Hampstead,
and Dr. Allan states that although they are fewer than before many are still found in Westminster.
The annual reports show that much work is being done in London in connection with workshops and
in the inspection of outworkers' premises, and the progress made in St. Marylebone since the appointment
of two additional inspectors deserves to be noted.
Places where food is prepared for sale.
Ice-cream
premises
The annual reports give information as to the adminstration of the powers conferred on sanitary
authorities by the London County Council (General Powers) Act of 1902 (sec. 43) for controlling the
conditions under which ice cream is prepared for sale.
These reports show that the provisions of this section are now widely applied, and are in no way
limited to premises occupied by itinerant vendors. Thus Dr. Dudfield states that in Paddington the
business of ice-cream vendor was combined with other businesses in 58 sweet shops, 24 bakers' shops,
4 milkshops, 15 restaurants, 2 newspaper and tobacco shops, 4 confectioners, 1 cook shop and 8 general
shops. The number of barrow men actually resident in Paddington was only four, while ten barrow
men residing in other districts had regular pitches in the borough. Dr. Lennane reports that of 185
premises in Battersea on which ice cream is manufactured or sold, 9 are occupied by Italians, who
employ 25 barrows for the sale of this article. He writes: "The number of these alien manufacturers
and vendors of ice cream appears to be diminishing in the borough, while, on the other hand, the
industry is increasing amongst the native population, with, on the whole, desirable results in the matter
of cleanliness."