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It was contended on be'ialf of the respondents that in these circumstances
they were not a workshop, and did not come within the provisions of Section 149
of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, and the Magistrate holding that
the room was not a workshop within the meaning of the Act, the case was
dismissed.
On the application of the Inspector a case was stated for the opinion of the
High Court, which was heard before the Divisional Court on the 26th July
last, when the decision of the Magistrate was reversed, the Court holding
that the room was a place in which manual labour was exercised by way of
trade in or incidental to the making of an article or the adapting for sale of
an article, within Section 149 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, and
that the room was therefore a workshop within the Act.
There are sixteen of these places in the City, all of which have been
inspected and registered as workshops. A few defects, including in some
instances want of proper sanitary accommodation, were found to exist, but
all are now being remedied.
WORKPLACES (KITCHENS).
The result of the inspection of basement kitchens is to show the entire
unsuitability of most of these places for the purpose. The difficulty of
efficiently ventilating underground rooms of any kind is very great, and it is
obvious that this difficulty is much increased when to the ordinary vitiation
of the air by breathing, are added the fumes from gas stoves and the steam
generated in cooking. The most elaborate arrangement of air shafts and
fans will scarcely avail to render the atmosphere fit to breathe, to say nothing
of the unhealthy effect it is likely to have on the food cooked and
stored in it.
It has been found that in many basement kitchens a much greater amount
of cooking is being done than was formerly the case, and Consequently that
the number of gas stoves has increased in proportion, while no additional
means of ventilation nor methods of carrying off the fumes from the stoves
has been provided.
In the 188 kitchens inspected during the year, no fewer than 132 defects
have been found : 52 kitchens were badly ventilated ; 34 required cleansing ;
in 31 cases the sanitary accommodation was dirty or defective ; and there
were besides, 15 general defects. The number of women employed in these
kitchens is 2,664.