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13
Hairdressers and Barbers.
The Council's Byelaws regulating these establishments came into operation on 18th December,
1955. There are in the Borough 119 registered hairdressers and barbers and 142 inspections were made.
One notice was served but otherwise conditions generally were found to be satisfactory.
Pet Shops.
The Pet Animals Act, 1951, provides for a system of inspection and annual licensing of pet shops
by local authorities, a fee of 10s. being payable for each licence, thirteen of which were issued during
the year. A few of the licensees keep puppies and other mammals for sale but mostly they deal in
cage birds, goldfish and tropical fish. The premises concerned were kept under observation by the
public health inspectors who made 27 visits and inspected weekly the stalls licensed to sell pets in
the street markets. Conditions under which the livestock was kept were reported as satisfactory.
Poisons.
At the end of the year the names of sixty-seven traders were on the Council's list of persons entitled
to sell poisons included in Part II of the Poisons List (Pharmacy and Poisons Acts, 1933-1941) the
number of premises concerned being seventy-eight. Details of the premises concerned are given in
Table 21, page 38.
Protective Helmets.
The Motor Cycles (Protective Helmets) Regulations, 1957, makes it an offence for any person
to sell or hire or offer to sell or hire any helmet as a helmet affording protection to motor cyclists, in
the event of an accident, which is neither of a type prescribed nor of a type authorised under
Regulations made by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation as being a helmet recommended
as affording such protection. These Regulations prescribe the types of helmet which may be sold or
hired to motor cyclists.
Five premises in the Borough where these helmets are sold were kept under observation but no
sub-standard helmets were found.
Public Conveniences.
There are in the borough 10 conveniences and three urinals for men and six conveniences for
women. Supervision is exercised by the Public Health Department and no special problems arose
during the year other than minor difficulties due to staff shortages. Because of these and in order to
maintain the service it was sometimes necessary to leave some of the conveniences temporarily
unattended but no vandalism occurred. During the year a new chalet type convenience for men and
women was opened in Paddington Street at the north-east corner of the old burial ground. The cost
of construction was borne by a company developing a site adjoining the urinal which for many years
existed at the north-west corner of the burial ground. The new convenience replaces the old urinal,
which has been demolished, and provides for men three water closets (one free), three wash-hand
basins and six urinals; and for women three water closets (one free) and two wash-hand basins. The
wash-hand basins in this convenience are fitted with a new type of tap with a hot and cold mixing
valve which delivers the water at suitable temperature in the form of a spray. No basin stoppers are
provided and it has been found that the spray delivery of warm water is not only acceptable to the
public but is also effecting economy on water consumption and electricity.
At Oxford Circus the convenience has been adapted so as to provide a rest room for women and
a changing room for men. No charge is made for the use of the ladies' rest room which has been
partitioned off from the toilet room so as to provide privacy. The tiled floor has been covered with
lino and a rug provided, and there is a formica-topped table, a chair, extra washing facilities in the
form of a wash-hand basin and a deep butler's sink. Linen towels and toilet soap are also provided.
The rest room is intended primarily for the use of the travelling public, in particular mothers who
may have to attend to the needs of their babies, or any woman who may feel unwell. The men's
changing room, for which a charge of 1s. is made, is similar in construction to the rest room except
that no deep sink is provided. It does, however, have facilities for shaving with an electric shaver
operated by inserting a sixpence. Shoe cleaning materials, linen towels and toilet soap are provided.
Now established in its eleventh year at all public conveniences where wash-basins are provided,
the free washing scheme with paper towels and liquid soap is still increasing in popularity with the
general public.