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81
"Your letter has been forwarded to the Acting Chief Inspector, who
"is at present not in London. In the meantime the information will be
"transmitted to the Board's Inspectors in the Bristol Channel, who will
"see that no unfit provisions form part of the vessel's supply on her
"next voyage."
I represented to the Port Sanitary Committee that it was desirable that
some person in authority should be responsible for the inspection of provisions
supplied to ships for the use of seamen, and that he should be provided with
powers to institute legal proceedings where unsound foodstuffs were found.
The Committee resolved that the Board of Trade should be communicated
with, and the following letter sent:—
"Guildhall, E.C.,
"16th June, 1909.
"Sir,
"I am directed by the Port of London Sanitary Committee to
forward, for the information of the Board of Trade, the accompanying
copy of a Report of the Medical Officer of Health of the Port recently
presented to the Court of Common Council.
"Reference will be found on page 13 of the report to a case in which
the crew's provisions on a vessel, viz., the s.s. "Pontop," of Newcastle,
were found to be unsound and unfit for food. The facts were reported
by the Medical Officer to the Inspector of the Board, but as no formal
complaint had been received from the crew, he was unable to take any
action in the matter.
"The Port Sanitary Committee have had several instances reported to
them by the Medical Officer of Health in which meat on board has
been found to be in a putrid condition, and they consider the supply of
food sound in condition, as well as of good quality, is a matter of great
importance to the health of sailors.
"Under these circumstances I have been directed by the Committee to
bring the whole subject to the notice of the Board, in order that they
may consider whether any steps can be taken to remedy what appears to
the Committee to be a highly undesirable state of affairs.
"I am, Sir,
"Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) "JAMES BELL.
"The Secretary,
"Marine Department,
"Board of Trade."