London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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477 defects were discovered chiefly in relation to dirty walls and ceilings, and dirty or defective sanitary conveniences.
| Trade. | No. of Workrooms. | No. of Women employed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General. | Women's. | Total. | ||
The largest number of women employed in one trade is 2,020 in the 161
Millinery workshops on the Register, next comes 1,013 in 93 Blouse workrooms,
and then 786 in the Artificial Flower Trade. All these are seasonal
trades, and the number of workers varies very much with the time of year.
It has only been possible to inspect these workshops once during the year.
34 domestic workshops are included in the above table. A separate list of
these is given on page 93.
FLORISTS' WORKSHOPS.
A recent decision in the High Court has placed retail florists within the
provisions of Section 149 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901.
This case, Hoare v. Robert Green, Ltd., was an appeal from the decision of a
metropolitan magistrate on a summons issued against the respondents for
failing to exhibit in their workshop the prescribed abstract of the Act which
is required by Section 128.
The respondents carried on the business of retail florists, employing a number
of young women and girls, whose duties consisted partly of serving customers
in the shop and partly of making up natural flowers into wreaths, crosses
and bouquets, and arranging floral decorations, for which purpose frames of
wood or wire were sometimes used, in a room behind the shop.