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A number of visits were paid to all the houses from time to time by officers of the
department and the attention of the person in charge or the London County Council
directed to any matter calling for remedy.
Underground Rooms.—As close supervision as possible was kept over rooms of
this class and whenever possible notices to discontinue occupation were served. The
total number dealt with in this way was 9.
C.—PREMISES THAT ARE NOT BUT SHOULD BE
REGISTERED.
For a variety of reasons the number of premises in the Borough in which meals
are provided or food is sold ready cooked or is prepared for sale is very large. At the
end of 1923 there were 232, this number including: restaurant, dining room and
coffee shop kitchens, 172; tea-rooms and pastry-cooks, 40; hotel kitchens, 20; fried
fish shops, 24; and fish-curers, 5. In addition, there were a number of shops in
which meat, ham, sausages, &c., were cooked and sold only over the counter.
On more than one occasion the Borough Council, at the suggestion of the Public
Health Committee, have directed the attention of the Ministry of Health and the
London County Council to the necessity for legislation requiring registration of food
premises of this class. Up to the present no step in this direction has been taken by
either of the authorities mentioned.
The routine practice of visiting a number of restaurants, &c., each week was
continued by the Food Inspector, and any matters discovered dealt with at once.
In 1923 the total number of inspections was 1,362, the number of notices served
being 46.
During the year a special investigation was made with the object of discovering
exactly the arrangements provided in restaurants, etc., for the sanitary convenience
of the employees and particularly the provision made for and the instructions given
as to the washing of hands after using the conveniences and at other times. The
information obtained is summarized below. In connection with the investigation it
was interesting to find that conditions were no worse than the figures indicate and
pleasant to note the readiness with which the persons responsible for finding a
remedy recognised the need for improvement and took steps to provide it.
FOOD PREMISES ENQUIRY.
Summary.
Total number of premises inspected 296
Number of premises where a water closet failed to comply with the
By-laws of the London County Council 22 (7.4%)
Number of premises with no separate water closet accommodation
for women *37 (12.5%)
Number of premises with no facilities for hand washing 4 (1.4%)
Number of premises without soap and towels for hand washing 8 (2.7%)
Number of premises where no instructions had been given as to
hand washing 9 (3.0%)
*In the large majority of these cases one woman only (commonly the wife of proprietor) was
employed.