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204
1902]
INSPECTION OF FOOD.
The major and most important part of this work is carried out by your
meat Inspector, Mr. J. H. Wilkinson, although it is also the duty of each
district Inspector to watch diligently for diseased, unsound, or unwholesome
articles of food, and on Saturday evenings to patrol the market streets of the
district to which he is appointed.
The meat Inspector examined 44,785 animals slaughtered in the slaughter
houses of the borough, of which 41,024 were sheep and lambs, and 3,494
oxen or cows.
It is pleasant to think that the systematic inspection of the carcases of
animals killed in the private slaughter houses has led to a lesser number of
diseased animals being slaughtered. The trade in such animal food has been
practically driven out of Islington, which, at one time, was a favourite
dumping ground for it. No case of any person knowingly sending any
diseased animal to Islington to be slaughtered was discovered, although the
entire carcases of 11 animals, 6 cows and 5 sheep, were seized and destroyed
with the consent of the owner.
Among the 44,785 animals slaughtered 307 were more or less diseased,
of which 95, or 31 per cent., were affected with tuberculosis.
This Inspector also made over 4,000 inspections of the shops and stallboards
of persons exposing food for sale, and in course of his visits seized
nearly three quarters of a ton of food, consisting of diseased or unsound meat
or offal, tainted preserved meats, rabbits, hares, preserved tomatoes, fruit
and vegetables.
Three persons were summoned and fined respectively £5, £2 and 15s.
In another case the defendant was acquitted and three guineas costs allowed
against the Council. There is no doubt that this was a miscarriage of justice
for the signs of the disease had been most carefully stripped from the carcase
by no mere novice in the work. The magistrate stated that as the appearance
had deceived him, who said he knew a great deal about cattle, so it was possible
that the defendant did not know.