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1904] 226
COWHOUSES.
There were at the end of the year only ten cowhouses on the register, the
licenses of two having been allowed to lapse. Their general state was good,
while the animals were kept in a much more cleanly state than used to be the
case a few years ago. They were visited systematically by the Inspector, who
made 139 inspections of the buildings and the cattle.
One cowkeeper was summoned under the bye-laws for keeping his cows
in an uncleanly state, but when the case came on for hearing the Council was
met by the defence producing three servants of the London County Council,
the Veterinary Surgeon, his Assistant, and a Sanitary Inspector, who all said
that they had not noticed the alleged dirty state of the animals. This was
not to be wondered at, when it is remembered that their business at the cowhouse
was not to examine the sanitary state of the buildings or cows, but for
other purposes. The Magistrate dismissed the summons, allowing five
guineas costs against the Council, notwithstanding the fact that the Inspector
of these places (Mr. Wilkinson), and the Medical Officer of Health, who went
to the premises on several occasions for the purpose of examining the cows,
and whose duty it was to examine them, swore that on the dates alleged in the
summons, the cattle were in a very dirty state. It is a noteworthy fact that
four weeks after the hearing of the summons it was possible to detect the
marks on the cows where the dung had been caked owing to the new hair
which was then growing over the parts not having attained its full length.
The Magistrate, possibly, may not be to blame for his decision owing to the
contradictory evidence, but assuredly a system of inspection which may at any
time put the officials of two great bodies into antagonism is one that needs
alteration, and in addition is significent of an unnecessary overlapping of
duties, and a waste of public money.
That a conflict of evidence should have arisen in such a case as this was
particularly unfortunate, because the Public Health Committee were endeavouring
to protect the milk supply of the people, which is so well known to
require it; and because it will render it almost impossible for similar prosecutions
to be again undertaken in Islington lest once more the Council should be mulct
in heavy costs, through the County of London officials viewing matters
through a different set of glasses.