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106
Year.
No. of
Samples taken.
No. of
Adulterated
Samples.
Percentage of
Adulterated
Samples.
1898 357 44 12.32
1899 506 56 11.06
1900 514 46 8.92
1901 474 35 7.38
1902 500 52 10.40
1903 500 67 13.40
1904 700 107 15.28
1905 700 90 12.86
The proportion of adulterated samples obtained is not,
however, except within wide limits, necessarily a trustworthy
indication of the extent to which adulteration is prevalent.
Much depends on the methods employed in taking the samples.
It is generally found that where a special inspector is appointed
for this work a higher proportion of adulterated samples is
obtained than is the case where the samples are procured by
inspectors who are chiefly occupied with other duties. The
whole of the samples in 1904 and 1905 were taken by Mr.
Chuter, the Food Inspector, and those in 1903 by Inspectors
Chuter and Herrin, who, although at that time district sanitary
inspectors, were specially selected for food and drugs work, and
devoted much time and care to that work. In previous years the
samples were taken by all the district inspectors in rotation.
514 samples of milk were taken, 452 being taken on weekdays
and 62 on Sundays. Of the 452 week-day samples, 58,
or 12.83 per cent., were adulterated, while out of the 62
samples taken on Sundays no less than 16, or 25.8 per cent.
were adulterated. That is to say the percentage of adulterated
samples was twice as high on Sundays as on week-days. This