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43
Factories calling attention to the following points observed by her
at time of her inspection :—
(a) Insufficient W.C. accommodation.
(b) Insufficient lights to W.C.s.
(c) Obnoxious smells arising from the Council's
Sewage Farm.
By the Home Office order of 4th February 1903, it is prescribed
that there shall be 1 W.C. for every 25 females employed. In this
factory there were 36 W.Cs. provided and on going into the number
of women employed I found that to be in strict compliance with the
order, there should have been 44. On the manager being informed
of this, instructions were at once given to construct a block of 10
more W.C.s, so that the accommodation is now satisfactory.
Regarding the complaint of insufficient light, it may be explained
that the light in these places is purposely curtailed to prevent the
workers from reading there, and in this way a sanitary end is
served. The W.C.s in question were well constructed, clean, and
well ventilated, and I think that under the circumstances the
complaint was hardly justified. The complaint as to the smells arising
from the Sewage Farm was referred to the Sewage Disposal
Committee.
It is the duty of employers to notify the local authority twice a
year of the name and addresses of their outworkers. We have
received during the year from other authorities the names and
addresses of 84 persons residing in this district who are outworkers
for firms situated elsewhere. These outworkers have been visited
and the particulars kept in the register provided for that purpose.
This register is under constant revision as the number of outworkers
is subject to great fluctuation.
During the year one case of scarlet fever occurred at an outworkers
house. The patient was at" once removed to hospital, the
home-work removed tor disinfection, the employer notified and the
premises thoroughly disinfected.