Death and disease behind the counter / by Thomas Sutherst.

  • Sutherst, Thomas.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Death and disease behind the counter / by Thomas Sutherst. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    235/304 (page 223)
    season.” But at the end of the busy season they were very much mistaken, it being as late as ever before we finished, as some of them found to their cost, there being as many as eight and ten seriously indisposed in one week, and for six and seven to lea\c in a day on account of the way they weie kept at woik and the number of hours was a common occurrence, consequently throwing the work of the largest department in the establishment upon the shoulders of the few who were left, and who eithei had no fiiends in town to whom to go or could not afford to lose their livelihood, and new hands could not be engaged for this department on account of having heard of the number of hours and the hard work, under which some of the strongest have succumbed. The foregoing are, I can assure you, positive facts, which I shall, if required, be pleased to substantiate personally with witnesses, as I think it is not generally known to the public, it being prominently published on almost every sheet of notepaper that leaves the firm that we close on Saturdays at 2 o’clock. So we do the shops, but there is as much work done after the shops are closed, both in the week and on Saturday, as is done any Saturday before closing. C. B., draper, Commeicial Road. I have questioned most of our men on the subjects of ventilation, &c., on which infoimation is required, and find the greatest grievance is that in many houses there are double beds, and a man much prefers a single bed, for good reasons, and the sanitary arrangements are nearly always insufficient, as the house of business is often a private residence converted into a business establishment, and afterwards enlarged and altered to suit the business and to accommodate a larger number of hands, and all sanitary contrivances left in their original condition, which, although sufficient for a private house, is inade- quate for a business establishment. The greatest evils arise from the long hours. I think that every house employing more than, say, ten hands, should have a room fitted up as a bath-room. H. S., grocer, Commercial Road. You must excuse my not replying to yours earlier ; but, in the first place, I have been wait- ing to see how one man employed in our firm was getting on in health, and am sorry to say there is no improvement in his health, neither is there likely to be ; and I must say that in my opinion the serious illness is brought on entirely by the effects of gas and bad ventilation, although our establishment is a palace compared to some of them about London, especially the time in our house; being, for married men, from half-past eight until nine o’clock, which really means half-past; for single men, from a quarter to eight until the same time ; and apprentices, from half-past seven to the above time. But I have lived in one house where the time was from half-past seven till ten every day, except Saturdays, and then we had the advantage of midnight before getting finished. Be- sides this I know of many others as bad.