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14
Outworkers.
Fifty-six employers submitted lists in respect of a total of 517 outworkers (168 contractors and
349 workpeople). Of these, fifteen contractors and twenty workpeople operated in the Borough.
The nature of the different classes of work and the numbers of outworkers engaged is indicated in
Table 14, page 34.
Fireguards.
The Consumer Protection Act, 1961, superseded the Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Act, 1962, but
the Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Regulations, 1953, were re-enacted without amendment. In
previous reports mention has been made of the fact that auctioneers can still legally sell heating
appliances which do not comply with the Regulations, provided that they act on behalf of private
individuals and not as agents for someone whose normal business is the selling of heating appliances.
This loophole in the Act leads to administrative difficulties and in some degree defeats the aim of
legislation designed to safeguard the users of these appliances from accidents. The Council raised the
matter with the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee who made representations to the
Home Office seeking to amend the legislation by including the sale of heating appliances by public
auction. The Secretary of State, however, did not consider the introduction of amending legislation
on this subject justifiable.
Regular inspection was made of appliances exposed for sale by retailers but no heaters were found
which failed to comply with the statutory requirements.
Hairdressers and Barbers.
The Council's Byelaws regulating these establishments came into operation on 18th December,
1955. There are in the Borough 157 registered hairdressers and barbers ; regular inspections were
made and conditions generally were found to be satisfactory.
Pet Shops.
The Pet Animals Act, 1951, provides for a system of inspection and annual licensing of pat shops
by local authorities, a fee of 10s. being payable for each licence, ten 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 12 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 fifty-nine 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-three. Details are given in Table 15, page 35.
Protective Helmets.
The Motor Cycles (Protective Helmets) Regulations, 1957, make 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 type 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 ten conveniences and three urinals for men and seven conveniences for
women, a full list of which appears under Table 16, page 35. The hours of opening are from 7.40 a.m.
until 10.0 p.m. except at Oxford Circus where the conveniences are normally open until 11.0 p.m. and
until midnight during the Christmas shopping season, when large numbers of people come to see the
Oxford Street and Regent Street illuminations at night.
All conveniences have attendants, other than at Violet Hill public gardens and the three urinals
which are cleansed by a " flusher " who visits them at least twice daily. The attendants work on a
two-shift system and an extra man and woman are employed on the morning shift at Oxford Circus