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perhaps the extremely limited space at disposal which makes it difficult to provide
proper accommodation for the storage of the food is one of the most serious.
The subject is one worthy of extended reference, and the following details which
indicate the work which is carried out by Mr. Gathercole and the Lady Inspectors,
may be of interest.
It should be remembered that the business of a City restaurant is usually crowded
into a very few hours in the day, and results, in some cases, in extremely untidy
conditions in the kitchen, necessitating constant cleansing, the want of which is the
principal defect now found in kitchens. As a rule, however, suggestions are adopted
willingly and without delay.
The power to inspect kitchens is derived from the Public Health (London) Act,
1891 (in conjunction with the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901), which requires all
Local Authorities to satisfy themselves as to the sanitary conditions of Workplaces
within their districts.
Until recent years it was a prevalent idea amongst Restaurant keepers and others
that the requirements of the Factory and Workshop Act with respect to separate
sanitary accommodation for the sexes did not apply to their establishments, but the
Memorandum of the Secretary of State on the Act would appear to be clear on the
point, and very little opposition is now experienced. In some few instances the Act
has operated harshly upon individuals who have been discharged by their employers to
enable them to comply with requirements respecting sanitary accommodation. This
was inevitable, and it is hardly necessary to state that every effort has been made to
avoid anything in the nature of oppression.
It would be a great public advantage if all kitchens were required to be registered
under definite conditions before being occupied. Defects which are only discovered
after the place has come into occupation can generally only be dealt with as ordinary
nuisances. If registration were necessary many of these conditions would be dealt
with before the premises came into use.
The occupiers of several Restaurants have submitted plans for approval, and it
cannot be too widely known that this is the proper course to adopt in the best
interests of the parties concerned, who are thereby enabled to comply with the
necessary requirements at a minimum of expense.
Workplaces, in which category are placed Restaurant Kitchens, may be established
without notice being given to any Authority, in which respect they differ from
Factories and Workshops. They are not required to be registered under the Act, and
any person can therefore establish a workplace in any situation and under any
conditions without giving notice. It follows that workplaces, except in the few
instances where intention to occupy same is voluntarily given, are only discovered
during the round of routine inspection work.