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opened indiscriminately. These 12 tins were all unfit for
for food, most of them being in a stinking condition. Finding
that in 108 tins 12 of them taken from different parts were all
bad, I thought that this ought to be sufficient to condemn the
remainder. I consequently caused these opened tins to be
taken before a magistrate, who gave the necessary order for
their destruction, but refused to give the order for the
remaining 2,501 cases, but stated that every tin must be
separately opened. These cases were accordingly conveyed
to the Board's Wharf, at considerable expense, and all opened,
to the great danger of the men employed, who were liable to
be cut and contract blood poisoning. Out of the 2,501 tins
only 17 were found fit for food !
It appears to me that the law relating to the seizure of
tinned goods require modification, for considering the very
great danger there is to the public health from damaged
articles of this kind getting on the market, it would be
reasonable to condemn the sample if a certain percentage
were found unfit for human food.
Several deaths have been recorded from people partaking
of tinned meats in an unwholesome condition, and it cannot
be too widely known that when the jelly is liquified the meat
is in all probability in a most dangerous condition for food.
In addition to the seizure of these tins, 112 pieces of about
9 cwt. of butcher's meat were destroyed, and proceedings
were taken and the owner fined £10 and costs. Five lots of
food stuffs were voluntarily given up and destroyed during
the same period, viz:—