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Another feature, which does not appear
to have been appreciated is that, owing to Excess
Profits Tax, manufacturers are able to engage
the most expensive legal and technical assistance
obtainable for their defence at the cost of the
tax payer, but without consulting him, where as the
Local Authority, bringing the action, has seriously
to consider the pockets of the local rate payers.
In Chelsea recourse is seldon made to the Courts
and on the whole manufacturers respond well to
suggestions made to them.
During the year 400 samples were
submitted for examination Of these 20 were
milks, one was a milk substitute, 3 were beers
or vines, 353 other foods and 23 were drugs.
It will be seen from the accompanying Table that
the percentage of adulterated samples has risen
to seven as compared with 4.5 in the previous
year, 2.25 per cent in 1939, and 1.0 per cent in
1938. The Milk Substitute powder was composed
of a mixture of wheat and rice flour with a small
quantity of soya flour and possessed none of the
properties of milk; it acted merely as a thickening
agent in cooking. Four samples of cake and
pudding mixtures were reported against. Of these
one was swarming with acaries, two were sold as
sweetened cake mixtures and were almost devoid
of sweetening properties, whilst the fourth,sold
as a Yorkshire Pudding Powder, was merely a
coloured baking powder about oO per cent deficient
in raising properties. In this case the Minister
of Food refused to disclose the terms of the
Licence, but with some trouble they were obtained
from the manufacturer and it is needless to remark
that they did not conform to requirements. A soup
mixture sold as a Cereal Mixture contained only
11.2 per cent of cereals, the remainder being a
mixture of legumes. .A sample of cachous were
reported as Genuine, but inferior,.because they
were dark violet in colour, indicating that they
were cough cachous, but consisted of sugar with
a rose flavour. Two samples described as Vitamin
Custard Powder were devoid of vitamins. The
manufacturers stated that the powder formerly
contained vitamins and that when these-ceased to
be available owing to the war they continued to
use old cartons. Objection was taken to two
samples of cochineal on the ground that they were
75 per cent deficient in colouring properties.