New-York tribune., 1911-11-15
WOULD CLEAN BAKERIES
Miss Perkins, of Consumers
League, Says Many Are Filthy.
SOME SHOPS UNSANlTARY
Tells Factory Commission That
Board of Health Should Rem
edv Present Conditions.

Tho state factory investigating COM
mission resumed its hearings yesterday.
cote Senator Robert F. Wagner. who was
,,s+rumental in the establishment OF the
commission. who has been kept away from
r-evious hearings because OF Illness, was
.resen, The days session was principally
sovoted TO the taking Of testimony re-
,,ardlng alleged unsanitary conditions in
.be city bakeshops.
The chief witness was Miss Frances Per-
v,rs executive secretary of the Consumers
League. She said she had inspected los
bakeshops and had found the great ma
,o-i,v of them badly lighted and orlsani-
tary. All except ten of the bakeries she
,,sited we're in Easements. with small
,rindows on the level of the sidewalk as
the only means Of ventilation. Dirty floors
and filthy looking tables and utensils
formed the setting for the picture Miss
Perkins drew. She said:
In one bakeshop in Oak street. which Is
a fair example OF the others / saw, the
sweepings were allowed TO settle on the
bread material. Rats were abundant and
,bree cats roamed about the premises. IN
one Instance | know of kittens having been
born in a breadpan. The conditions OF tne
Sskfng utensils of course, depend largely
-iuon the personality Of the proprietor
some were clean, some were dirty. but
siroost invariably the furniture was filthy
The conditions in these places as TO
rlumbiug are most unsanitary. SO far as
The care Of the baking material is con-
cerned. little or no care is taken In stor-
ing them. l have seen white pastry ma
terial so covered with the drippings OF
wafer from above that ] mistoOk the mix
tUre for chocolate.
have found every evidence in many
bakeries that the managers permit their
-Us N IN
room and even on the bread trays. AS
the men are obliged to work long hours,
n is natural that they should take nap
during the day or night. Some of the
men make their beds on the -four sacks
Tohacco chewing is common among the
bakery workers and splitting is the natural
1s51iS 6niv " Yesterday. in a bakeshop in Cherry
street We found a sick woman in the
baking room and the husband attending
her as best he could. In another shop in
Oak street we found boy suffering from
a bad cough occupying quarters in the
working room.
In Miss Perkinss opinion so long as
bakeries are permitted TO exist in base
rents II will be impossible TO enforce sani-
tary regulations. The witness was asked
BY Abram /. Elkus, chief counsel for the
commission. what remedy she would sug-
gest for the conditions she had described.
She answered:
believe the Health Department is vested
with sufficient authority 10 control and
remedy the present situation. Now, the
Health Department and the Labor Depart
ment have charge of the work of inspec-
ton. but the results are not of the best
J suspect that & there Is at dT,n times a 5E, clash
Inent could take charge of the sanitary
regulations Of these bakeshops.
IF this department would assume charge
Of the situation the employees would nave
10 submit 10. physical examination at
stated intervals. Such a rule exists within
the bakers organization. and believe II
should be made universal and enforced by
the Board OF Health. The employment of
women and children should be more care
fully watched. The age limit for the en-
pl0yment of children should be raised and
sickly women should not be permitted 70
work in the bakeshops.
Another witness at the inquiry was John
J. Murphy, Commissioner Of the Tenement
House Department, who said his depart
rnent had no authority TO regulate the ma
ferials and the manufactured product. He
declared himself opposed TO a plan out
llneS by Mr.. Elkus looking TO the creation
Of general inspection department
Dr. Walter Behsel. health officer OF the
city. explained that his department had
TOO few inspectors TO cover the city thor
oughly. and asserted that he was in favor
Of having all authority vested In the
Health Department. Charles F. Inland,
general organizer OF the International
Union OF Bakers and Confectioners. gave
an outline of the work being carried on In
the interest OF cleanliness In the bakery
business.
Edward p Boone. superintendent OF the
automatic sprinkler department OF the Fire
Insurance Exchange. maintained that the
use of sprinklers meant a reduction OF 80
per cent in insurance premiums. He said
that 81 sprinkler system had been In use
In the Triangle waist factory ~ might
have saved the lives of those who perished.