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109
sold from insanitary premises. Prior to the passing of this
Act, the sanitary authority were compelled to register any
person who applied to be registered as a milk vendor, notwithstanding
that in many instances the premises from which the
milk was sold were on sanitary grounds unsuitable for the
purpose. It will now be possible for the Council to exercise a
stricter supervision over the sanitary suitability of the premises
and thereby to enable them to gradually raise the standard of
cleanliness under which this important and sensitive article
of food is deposited or exposed for sale. It will be within the
knowledge of the Committee that in many instances milk is
sold in premises side by side with commodities which are liable
to give rise to contamination of the milk ; and notwithstanding
the constant supervision exercised by the officers of the Council
it has not been possible heretofore, with the limited powers
at their disposal, to do more than mitigate the evil which, under
such conditions, must prevail.
The question, therefore, of enforcing the provisions of the
Act in this respect will call for careful consideration, and I am
engaged in revising the register with a view to securing
reasonable conditions as regards the suitability on sanitary
grounds of premises, more especially in the case of general
shops, wherein milk is sold. As it may be found necessary
from time to time to take legal proceedings to enforce the
provisions of the section, I would suggest that it would be
desirable for the Council to advertise in the local papers or
alternative methods the duty of milk vendors to register in
accordance with the provisions of the Dairies, Cowsheds and
Milkshops Order, Section 6 (4) of which states:—
The Local authority shall from time to time give public
notice by advertisement in a newspaper circulating
in their district, and, if they think fit, by placards,
handbills or otherwise, of registration being required,
and of the mode of registration.
Otherwise, the legal proceedings which it may be the duty of
the Council to take under this section may be vitiated.
Under Section 6 (1) any sanitary authority may at any
time after the 1st January, 1909, appoint suitable women (to
be known as Health Visitors) for the purpose of giving to
persons advice as to the proper nurture, care and management
of young children, and of promoting cleanliness and discharging
such other duties (if any) as may be assigned to them in
accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2) The Local Government Board may make regulations
prescribing the qualifications, mode of appointment, duties,