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130
"Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, and the
Board of Agriculture.
"The Board of Agriculture have recently addressed
"three circular memoranda to Local Authorities in
"Great Britain, directing attention to the general
"provisions of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899,
"which came into operation on the 1st instant, and the
"same have been handed to me.
"These documents have received my careful considera"tion,
and I find that with the exception of some
"few notes relating to questions of law, &c., they supply
"no information beyond that contained in my Report on
"the same subject presented to you on the 28th
"November last.
"There is one fact, however, in connection with them
"worthy of more than passing notice. They are issued
"primarily for the guidance of those responsible for the
"due administration of the above Act, and through"out
them we find the Board of Agriculture directing
"the special attention of Local Authorities to the fresh
"duties thereby imposed upon them. Yet, although
"almost every clause of the Act is dissected therein, one
"of the most important obligations entrusted to the
" Board itself is not even mentioned.
"I refer to Section 4, which empowers the Board of
"Agriculture to make regulations for determining the
" normal constituents of milk, cream, butter or cheese.
"A fourth circular, marked A 8-c5-, was received from the
"Board on the 1st instant, in which the same omission
"is noticeable.