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use ends though the intention of the Acts undoubtedly is to secure'separate use
as well as separate provision Presumably office rules are made to meet this
circumstance
If it should be considered desirable to recognise the use of a public convenience
by one sex in special cases a somewhat difficult situation would be created It is in
the first instance contrary to the letter and intention of law Further there is no
guarantee that the public convenience would be used as permitted ; it is possible
after such a concession had been granted that both sexes would use one and the
same convenience in a building A distance within which a public convenience
should be situated so as to be sufficiently nearwould have to be fixed This would
be difficult It would also have to be decided in some cases which of the two sexes
should be so accommodated Men's and Women's public conveniences are not
always adjacent to one another
It must not be overlooked that the use of a public convenience usually involves
payment by the user This is an unfair—if slight—responsibility to place upon a
person who is entitled to have proper accommodation provided without charge
The principle involved is an important one Public conveniences were provided
first of all for public use and not to act as reliefs to buildings which may have
become occupied beyond their " convenience " capacity If it is intended to allow
their use in every such case they would have to be multiplied to some considerable
extent
Consideration of this subject shows that the widest powers are provided to
secure adequate accommodation in all premises and under almost any circumstances
but without any discretionary latitude to meet special difficult cases Nevertheless
it appears that in such circumstances particularly during the present period of
industrial depression the use of a public convenience by employees of one sex
if few in number is perhaps justifiable and for the time being preferable to costly
alterations which may be necessitated if strict observance of the law as it stands
were insisted upon But in view of the complications likely to arise from such a
concession it is undoubtedly easier and safer to enforce the Statutory requirements
LIGHTING AND MEANS OF VENTILATION OF BASEMENT
WORKROOMS
The demands of modern industry and commerce combined with economic
problems produced by the extremely high value of land in the City of London
control the development of sites and the use of buildings within its boundaries
and necessitate the fullest use being made of all available space below as well as
above ground Basement rooms are therefore a necessity in London and some
persons are compelled under present conditions to pass the working dav below
the ground level
It has long been recognised that these rooms are undesirable from the depressing
effect they produce and the difficulty of providing them with adequate
natural light and ventilation which are essential to the maintenance of health
Moreover it is unnatural for human beings to live or work regularly underground
and therefore probably harmful
Basement workrooms may be divided into two classes :—
(1) Those in modern buildings and
(2) Those in older buildings and former dwelling houses
In the first group basements are provided generally with a certain amount
of natural light and direct ventilation to the external air and supplemented with
mechanical ventilation where necessary They generally have adequate provision
for artificial lighting and though some are undesirable as workrooms still they
present conditions which are the best obtainable under present circumstances
The second class presents a more difficult problem In the older type of building
and dwelling house the basements were constructed and intended usually for
stores stock rooms or cellars only Under economic pressure many of these have
become occupied and sometimes separately occupied as workrooms or offices
Whereas little or no light and ventilation were needed originally these now become
a necessity In some cases slight structural alterations have given good results
but in others the necessary radical alterations would present extreme difficulty
and be very costly Mechanical ventilation by means of fan and air ducts can be