*54 
The Limits of Sanitary Reform. 
[March, 
with his own hands, from one of the “ departments, a chair 
which had been placed there for the use of customers, lest 
the assistants should sit upon it. Pulmonary consumption 
and scrofula are not the only diseases which flourish in these 
establishments. From the information which reaches us we 
believe that acute rheumatism — commonly known as 
rheumatic fever— is very rife. Hysterical affedhons are also 
frequent among the female hands, due evidently to the gene- 
rally depressing influences which surround them, and in no 
small extent to the bullying language of the shop- 
Wa The hours of work are far longer than the outside world 
is aware. The hands are often kept busy for some time at 
night after the doors are closed to the public. Indeed, when 
preparations are being made for one of those farces duly 
advertised as “ our annual sale,” “ our clearance sale ot 
winter goods,” &c., it is nothing uncommon for some, at 
least, of the employes to be kept hard at work till 2 a.m., or 
even beyond,— an addition to the day’s work for which no 
extra consideration is given, such as, e.g., the carpenter or 
the bricklayer enjoys for overtime. Stock-taking is anothei 
occasion on which work is prolonged ad libitum. 
As regards what are euphemistically known as the 
“ sanitary arrangements,” they are too often grossly made- 
quate to the number of persons on the. premises, ana gene- 
rally speaking in bad order. Sometimes an unpleasant 
odour even reaches parts of the premises to which customeis 
During the time of the “ sales ” above referred to it has 
even happened that these conveniences have been locked up 
for a considerable part of the day, lest the employer s 
precious time should suffer. What influence this must 
have on the health of the hands needs surely no expounding. 
It is likewise customary for the doors leading to the sleeping 
apartments to be locked all day, an arrangement which, as 
far as the female hands are concerned, is under certain cir- 
cumstances exceedingly prejudicial to health. . 
The exposure to cold is, in times of fog, fiost, keen winds, 
or damp, exceedingly hurtful, especially as the victims can- 
not counteract its effects by brisk exercise. In some oi 
these establishments the girls take breakfast in a cold room, 
go down to their work in shops which are not provided with 
any warming appliances, go to dinner in a cold dining-room, 
and have then the privilege of spending the residue of their 
dinner hour in a fireless sitting-room. Not until the day s 
business is over, say 8 p.m., is a fire lighted in this loom. 
