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84
sold; in 14, in confectioners' shops, and in 8 cases milk was
found to be sold from a dwelling house. Only 16 milk sellers
in Battersea obtain milk direct from the farmer; 132 are
supplied by wholesale dealers, 87 by other retail purveyors of
milk in Battersea, and 11 from retail dealers outside Battersea.
In 104 instances less than 1 gallon of milk is sold daily, in 51
shops between 1 and 10 gallons are sold daily per shop, and in
87 shops the daily quantity of milk sold per shop is over 10
gallons. 79 intimations were served for offences under the
Public Health Act discovered in milk-shops, and 235 special
letters were sent calling upon defaulting purveyors of milk to
comply with the Regulations of the London County Council.
In 25 milk-shops the utensils were washed in the same copper
as was used for washing the family linen, &c.; in 8 cases the
milk was found to be stored in the lobby of a dwelling-house,
and in very many cases the milk was found to be stored in the
shop in uncovered vessels. In all the latter cases the milk
seller was called upon to keep his milk in covered vessels, and
in this respect a great improvement has taken place.
The Regulations relating to milk-shops now in force were
made by the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1885 and the
powers these Regulations confer are inadequate to deal with
many of the improper conditions under which milk is stored
and distributed in London. For sixteen years the London
County Council have had the power to make new Regulations
and it is much to be regretted that this power has not been
exercised.
Unsound Food.
In cases where the retail vendor has unknowingly
purchased articles of food unfit for human consumption, and
has made no attempt to sell the articles, it is the practice,
when the latter are brought to the Health Office, to grant a
certificate, which enables the retailer to claim the return of
the money paid for the articles to the wholesale dealer. The
food is destroyed at the Council's destructor. During the
year certificates were granted in respect to the following
articles of food, all of which were first covered with disinfectant
and then taken to the destructor and destroyed.