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150
Bakehouses.
The number of bakehouses in use during the year was 42. Of these 27 were
underground, and 35 were factory bakehouses.
In connection with bakehouses the sanitary inspectors paid 19G visits of inspection.
Intimation notices were served in 18 instances.
The condition of many of the bakehouses in Shoreditch has long been unsatisfactory,
and the peculiar difficulties which hamper any attempts to improve these
conditions were dealt with in a report which I presented to the Public Health Committee
in September, 1936. As this report is of tome general interest, it is reproduced
here verbatim.
To the Chairman and Members of the Public Health Committee.
Bakehouses.
I beg to present a report upon the condition of the bakehouses in the Borough
of Shoreditch. Before dealing with the conditions found it may be advisable to
summarise briefly the main legal enactments relating to bakehouses.
Section 98 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, deals with nuisances in
respect of bakehouses, and provides for a fine for non-compliance with a notice
setting out the work necessary to remove the cause of complaint. Regulations
regarding the limewashing of bakehouses are given in Section 99 of the same Act.
Underground bakehouses are dealt with in Sections 101 and 102 of this Act. These
Sections impose upon the local authority the onus of dealing with retail bakehouses.
Important sub-sections of Section 101 are as follows:—
Sub-section (1): "An underground bakehouse shall not be used as a
bakehouse unless it was so used at the passing of this Act."
Sub-section (2): "Subject to the foregoing provision, after the first day
of January one thousand nine hundred and four an underground bakehouse shall
not be used unless certified by the district council to be suitable for that purpose."
Sub-section (4): "An underground bakehouse shall not be certified as
suitable unless the district council is satisfied that it is suitable as regards construction,
light, ventilation, and in all other respects."
Sub-section (6): "If any place is used in contravention of this section,
it shall be deemed to be a workshop not kept in conformity with this Act."
It should be especially noted that no power is given to a local authority by any
Act of Parliament to cancel a certificate which has already been granted, and that
no matter how bad the premises are, the certifying local authority cannot prevent
their use as a bakehouse.