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much in size as the day went on, and it appeared quite
possible that some of the unsound articles of fruit and vegetables
could be "worked off" in small quantities on purchasers,
especially those who do their marketing late at night. He
therefore suggested, as an experiment, that the Committee
should give instructions for a small handcart to visit the
markets once or twice during the market days and collect the
rejected fruit and vegetables, and that strict injunctions
should be given to all stallholders to provide a suitable receptacle
for putting waste material into, and that these should
be kept as far as possible away from the articles which they
are selling. It will require the engagement of a man on a
couple of days in the week to take the handcart round, and
if the experiment proves successful the work could be
extended, or given up if the contrary proves to be the case.
I, therefore, recommend that the Committee give instructions
for this to be carried out for a period of six months, at the
end of which time I will again report on the matter."
The work was found to be so successful that the Council has
now decided to collect this unsound food permanently.
FOOD AND DRUGS.
In Table IX of Appendix will be found a list of the samples
taken in 1923, and the action taken. 1,206 samples were taken,
compared with 1,202 in 1922, and 1,201 in 1921. Of these 3.3 per
cent. were found adulterated, compared with 2.9 per cent. in the
previous year, and 5.6 per cent. in 1921.
GENERAL SANITARY WORK.
Inspections.
In Tables F and G (pages 29 and 32) will be found particulars
of the general sanitary work by the District Inspectors during
1923.
The house-to-house inspections numbered 4,319. This is 365
above the total for the previous year.
5,221 intimation notices were served, compared with 5,412 in
the previous year.