View report page

The Register of Wholesalers which the Council are required to keep in accordance with Section 2
of the Milk and Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922, contained at the commencement of the year one
name and no alteration has been necessary.
The inspections of dairies and milkshops made during the year numbered 641, and such sanitary
defects as were found were remedied.
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915—This Act, the operation of which was postponed
owing to War conditions, came into force on September 1st, 1925. It has for its main object the
prevention of the sale of tuberculous milk. County Councils and County Borough Councils may
make an Order which will prohibit the sale of infected milk in any area. In this connection it
should be pointed out that the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries has made a Tuberculosis Order
which came into operation on September 1st last. This Order provides for the slaughter of bovine
animals infected with certain specified forms of tuberculosis and for the payment of compensation
in respect of animals so slaughtered. It will be the duty of the local authority, when in the exercise
of their powers under the Act they discover the presence in a herd of an animal to which the Order
applies, to cause it to be slaughtered in pursuance of the Order.
When the Council had this measure under review in October last, they resolved to take thirty
samples of milk per annum for the purpose of examination for the presence of tubercle bacilli, under
the powers conferred by the Act. Owing to the time occupied in making suitable arrangements
with a bacteriological laboratory to carry out the work, no samples were taken in the remaining
portion of the year, but several have been taken in the early part of 1926, none of which was found
to contain tubercle bacilli.
The Act grants power to the Minister of Health to make what are to be known as Milk and
Dairies Orders with regard to various matters such as the registration of dairies, the addition of
colouring matter to milk, the sale of " certified milk," etc. In addition, it permits local authorities
to establish milk depots.
The Act enlarges the powers of officers of local authorities to take samples of milk for examination,
and such samples may, under the Act, be taken at any time before the milk is delivered to the
consumer. Perhaps the most important change of the law effected as far as Kensington is concerned
is in connection with the third schedule which amends the provisions of the Sale of Food and Drugs
Acts with regard to the warranty defence. When the purveyor proposes to plead such a defence
he must give notice to the local authority so that a sample from a corresponding milking can be
taken in the course of transit or delivery to the purveyor ; and if the owner of the cows so requests,
a further sample must be taken at the dairy at which the cows are kept. Unless notice is given
within 60 hours of the sample being taken the warranty defence cannot be used. This
defence will also not be available where the sample in respect of which proceedings are taken is a
mixture of milk obtained from more than one seller or consignor Power is also given to the local
authority of the district in which the first sample was taken, instead of or in addition to taking
proceedings against the purveyor, to proceed against the seller or consignor.
In five instances where the Council's Food Inspector obtained samples of milk, the retailers
requested the Council to take a further sample in the course of delivery to them from a corresponding
consignment. In three cases, both the original sample taken from the retailer and that taken by
request on delivery to the retailer from the wholesaler, were found to be of genuine composition. In
the remaining cases the results of analysis were as follow :—
Fat. Non-Fatty Solids. Remarks.
1. First sample. (Taken from Retail 2.67 8.82 11% deficient in fat.
Purveyor).
Second sample. (Taken on delivery
from Wholesaler to Retailer). 4.26 9.04 Good quality.
Proceedings tune instituted in this instance, but the vendor successfully pleaded a warranty defence ami the summons
was dismissed.