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1905]
240
was a proper case to bring before the Court. In the second case two summonses were taken
out against a butcher (who had been previously warned) for exposing for sale meat which
was unsound through decomposition, and for depositing other meat for the purpose of sale
in the ice safe and in a similar condition. The defendant pleaded guilty to both charges,
but repudiated any guilty knowledge, submitting that the circumstances had arisen through
the carelessness of his servants. The Magistrate fined the defendant £3 and 2s. costs on each
charge.
Cowhouses.—There are now only nine cowsheds within the Borough, the licence of one,
in Gifford Street, Caledonian Road, having lapsed during the year owing to disuse of the
premises. With two or three exceptions, which were not of a serious character, the cowsheds
and the cows kept therein have been found from time to time in a satisfactory condition
during a series of 116 visit's.
Two cases of indurated udder and one of a cow suffering from tuberculosis were notified
to the Medical Officer of Health of the London County Council for the attention of their
Veterinary Inspector, which resulted in the speedy removal of the latter and the necessary
inspection of the former.
In one instance we were notified by the London County Council as to the condemnation
of the milk ol a certain cow by their Veterinary Inspector, but on paying a special visit
to the cowshed in question I found that it had been romoved, and I was informed that it
had died on the date of the notification, and had been removed to the knacker's yard.
Offensive Trades.—The offensive trade establishments, comprising 3 tripe dressers, 2 gutscrapers,
and 1 tallow melter, have received a total of 108 visits and the knacker's yard 47
visits.
The tallow melting establishment is now conducted under the closed chamber system in
accordance witft the requirements of the London County Council, but I regret that on three
occasions during the year I found unpleasant fumes escaping therefrom, which were very
perceptible at some considerable distance from the premises.
On two of such occasions I found that some door which was supposed to be closed during
the melting and cooling processes was open at the time of the emission and thereby causing
the unpleasantness. On the third occasion, however, I found that offensive fumes were very
perceptible on the platform of the Maiden Lane Railway Station, whilst a visit to the premises
showed the whole of the fans in working order and the respective doors and windows closed,
and I failed to detect the point at which the fumes made their escape into the external air.
Similar offensive smells were on one occasion found near a tripe dressing establishment
at Pleasant Grove, caused by the melting down of refuse fat in an ordinary tripe boiler,
during some alterations and repairs to the specially constructed copper for this purpose. I
warned the manager, and there has been no recurrence of the nuisance.
My attention was called by the manager of a tripe dressing business to several cwt. ol
tripe which was in an imperfect state of preservation* and as I declared it to be unfit for
human food it was given up for destruction.
*The Tripe came from Liverpool.—A. E. H.