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64
WATER SUPPLY.
Daring the year a number of private houses that derived their
drinking water from shallow wells by means of pumps, have now had a
Metropolitan Water Board supply laid on. The storage cisterns are placed in
a most objectionable position, and had your officials been consulted on the
matter before the water was laid on, they would not have passed storage cisterns
in such a situation.
SHOPS' ACT, 1912.
The work of administering this Act is carried out by Mr. Winter and
myself, and much time has been spent in watching for offenders. A great
majority of the traders adhere strictly to the Act, but we have received complaints
from time to time of the mixed shops evading the Act. They serve to
their known customers, while strangers are refused.
This nefarious trading will not be stopped until all the mixed shops are
made to close on the general closing day. I have endeavoured to get these
traders to define their particular business, but the goods they sell are so varied,
it is difficult to define.
DAIRIES, COWSHEDS AND MILKSHOPS, &c.
The number of cow-keepers on the register is 2; while the number of cows
varies from time to time; at present there are only 24.
The cow-keeper with whom we had trouble last year, owing to him keeping
cows in unsuitable premises, has since given up the building, and reduced the
number of cows kept in his cowshed.
The number of milksellers on the register is 93, 29 of these are practically
devoted to dairy produce, 9 were added during the year, and 12 removed.
There were 29 inspections made to cowsheds and 253 to dairies and
milkshops.
There were 18 inspections made to premises where ice cream is sold. Most
confectioners gave up the making of ice cream owing to the increase in the
price of sugar and ice.
OFFENSIVE TRADES, PIG KEEPING, &c.
A firm commenced the business of a gut-scraper at the old varnish works,
Lea Side. Fortunately we have got this particular offensive trade prohibited