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These receptacles should be stored in clean, well-aired positions, protected
as far as possible from the possibility of contamination. The practice of
placing bowls of oysters in front of a shop at or near the ground level,
adopted by some, should be discontinued.
If it should be necessary to wash the oyster after opening, this should be
done under a tap of running water, so as to avoid the use of fouled water.
In the City, exclusive of the wholesale merchants, there are 37 establishments
in which oysters are sold direct to the public, and at which a varying
quantity—probably not less than 10,000 to 15,000 oysters—are sold daily
during the season.
At many of the hotels and restaurants oysters appear on the bill of fare,
and can be obtained by customers. In most cases, however, no stock is kept,
and the supply is procured from the nearest merchant.
The City being a centre of the trade is exceptionally well situated for this
class of business, as the retailers are so near the wholesale merchants that they
can readily purchase their supplies daily, thus ensuring that their customers
are always served with fresh shellfish in the best condition.
As a result of these enquiries it has been found that, speaking generally,
there is little to take exception to as to the way in which the retail oyster
trade is conducted, although, as before mentioned, there is room for improvement
with regard to the nature of the receptacles used for storage. As there
will probably be little difficulty in inducing the retailers to adopt the suggestions
previously referred to, the public may rest assured that, provided the
oysters are in the first instance procured from an unpolluted source, they may
be eaten in the City without danger to health.