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78
In Lord Salisbury's Bill the definition of underground workrooms is one which
may perhaps not be altogether regarded with favour. Personally I would prefer to see
a definite statement as to the distance of the floor below the ground level, rather
than the variable standard based on half the height.
In this Bill the duty of Supervision of Workplaces remains with the Sanitary
Authority, and to facilitate the work of the Authority I consider that it would be an
advantage if some provision were made to compel occupiers of a scheduled underground
workplace to notify the Authority before occupation, or, in the cases of those in use at
the time the Act comes into force to notify within a certain period. Unless this is the
case, it appears to me possible that certain underground workplaces may exist for some
considerable time before they are discovered. It seems a possibility, also, that an
underground workplace may come into occupation after the commencement of the Act,
and no punishable offence be committed until the occupier has failed to comply with
the Notice of the Sanitary Authority directing his attention to the fact that the room
is a nuisance. Since a workplace not kept in conformity with the requirements of
the Act can only be made to conform by adopting the "nuisance" procedure. This
objection does not hold in the case of workshops, since it is necessary to notify the
Factory Inspector of the occupation of a workshop, and these intimations are
subsequently forwarded to the Sanitary Authority the workshop being afterwards
regularly visited.
The above brief summary is sufficient to indicate the importance of the subject,
and as most workers in the City live outside the City boundaries the responsibility of
ensuring that such persons pass their working lives under satisfactory conditions is not
one which can be disregarded or passed over lightly.
BAKEHOUSES.
Bakehouses are scheduled as Workshops (Part II., Sixth Schedule), and are
required to be registered by the Local Authority (Sec. 132).
The following is a list of bakehouses registered in the City:—
Aboveground Bakehouses.
§280, Bishopsgate. †l55, Minories.
§Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street. §‡85, Middlesex Street.
‡61, Middlesex Street. †4, Water Lane.
Underground Bakehouses.
188, Aldersgate Street. 18, Long Lane.
262, Bishopsgate. †37, Middlesex Street.
‡4, Broadway. §‡63 to 65, „
8, Copthall Avenue. §‡122, „
15, Cornhill. 31, Newbury Street.
‡67, Farringdon Street. 3, Pancras Lane.
§‡88, „ „ 21, Stoney Lane.
‡93, Fetter Lane. 68, St. Mary Axe.
§8 to 14, King Street, Snow Hill. ‡75, St. Paul's Churchyard.
48, Knightrider Street. 194, Upper Thames Street.
† Established during 1003. ‡These have been established at least 27 years.
§ Factory Bakehouses (power is used)