Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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at page 23. The defect in legislation, qua, Cowsheds, Dairies
&c., as in the cognate case of the Slaughter-houses Act, is that
no attempt has been made to utilise the services of the Medical
Officers of Health and the Sanitary Inspectors for purposes of
inspection and supervision, the sanitary authorities (Vestries,
&c.) being ignored. There has been considerable reduction
in the number of cowsheds in the Metropolis; from 1044 in
1880 to 673 in 1889. In 1878 the number in Kensington
was 26; now there are just 12, viz., 8 in North Kensington
and 4 in South Kensington. The names of the
licensees, and the localities of the licensed premises, are set out
in Table XII. (Appendix). The premises were inspected by
the Works, Sanitary and General Purposes Committee in July,
and found in a satisfactory condition.
BAKEHOUSES.
Under the provisions of the Bakehouses Regulation Act,
1863, the sanitary authorites (Vestries and District Boards) were
responsible for the inspection of bakehouses. In January, 1879,
the supervision of these establishments was transferred to the
Factory Inspectors, by the Factory and Workshop Act, 1878.
The Factory Inspectors, few in number, could not perform the
duty, and in the result the bakehouses fell into a state more or less
unsatisfactory, depending on the less or more attention bestowed
upon them—without statutory authority- by sanitary officials.
In some parishes no inspection at all was made, and at last it was
seen to be necessary (the Chief Factory Inspector himself being
witness) to reverse the legislation of 1878, and to re-transfer the
control of bakehouses to the sanitary authorities, which was done
by the Factory and Workshop Amendment Act, 1883. In my
annual report for 1881, I called attention to the failure of the
Aet of 1878, and urged the restoration of the status quo ante 1879.
At the same time I pointed out the necessity for a "proper Bakehouse
Regulation Act," providing for the licensing of bakehouses,