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44 CLERICAL WORK.
an " egg powder.". The samples were. obtained from the same shop. The whole of the
stocks of both commodities were seized and destroyed by magistrate's order. The samples
were taken on receipt of a letter from the Local Government Board, in which the Board
stated that a baking powder had been found to contain arsenic in consequence of a contamination
of acid phosphate manufactured in Scotland. The above results were communicated
to the Board. The Solicitor advised that no proceedings should be taken, as the vendor had
sold the articles just as they were received from the makers.
VI.—CLERICAL WORK.
A full statistical statement of the work of the Clerical Staff would entail much labour
and the result would be neither satisfactory nor convincing. The appended statement gives
some sort of an idea of the staff's principal activities. It takes no account of the time spent
in the preparation of reports and papers for Committee work, nor of returns to the Government
Departments and to the County Council and Metropolitan Asylums Board. There was
some check in the demands for information arising from the need of economy in the use of
paper, but such check cannot be regarded as anything more than temporary. The compilation
of the data for this Report has entailed much work, of which a statistical statement is
impossible.

VII.—LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
Annual Tables giving particulars and results of all summonses taken out during 1014-18
have been prepared, but a short Summary Table is only included in this Report. (See Table
XVII., Appendix.) The amount of fines inflicted was £430 7s. (id. and that of costs,
£205 3s. 0d., making a total of £635 lis 0d., all of which, save the fines imposed under the
Notification of Births Act, 1907, are paid to the Council. During 1909-13 the fines and costs
amounted to £483 15s. 3d. As will be seen from the statement following this paragraph
the increase in the total during 1914-18 was obtained in "Food" cases, viz., those taken
under the Sale of Food and Drue's Arts

In "Food cases the average amount of fine and cost in successful prosecutions was
£3 18s. 0d., as compared with £1 16s. 8d. during 1909-13. The annual averages (sec below)
fluctuated in a somewhat irregular manner.