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enquiries being made, it transpired that the horseflesh was being transported
by road from slaughterhouses in a northern city. The journey
took two days, and on arrival in London the lorries were frequently
parked in a depot for the night, delivering their loads to the shops on
the following day. To make matters worse, the lorries themselves were
quite unsuitable for the purpose. They were constructed largely of
wood with many joints, leading to absorption of blood and juices and
rendering cleansing very difficult. The only covering of the meat took
the form of tarpaulins, frequently torn and contaminated with oil and
grease. To deal satisfactorily with these very undesirable conditions
presented some difficulty. The Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924,
could not be invoked as the definition of "meat" in them does not
include horseflesh, and the by-laws for the protection of food had not
a t the time come into operation. The matter was, however, taken up
with the Medical Officer of Health for the city in question, and it is
satisfactory to record that as a result of his representations to the lorry
owners, conditions speedily improved, the lorries being reconditioned
a nd lined with metal to facilitate cleansing, and clean coverings being
placed over the meat.
Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924.
No offence against the Regulations was reported during the year.
Dairies and Milkshops.
The following table gives the dairies and milkshops registered in
the Borough, and the changes during 1952: —
(a) Dairies where loose milk is sold, and both the premises and
the occupier are registered:—
Retail
Wholesale
Total
On register at 1st January
40
7
47
No alteration took place in the register during the year.
(b) Milkshops, where milk is sold only in sealed containers, and
only the occupier is registered as a distributor:—
On register at Ist January
94
Added during year, by new registrations
7
101
Removed during year
8
On register at 31st December 93
(c) "Out-of-Borough" registrations (i.e., persons selling milk in
Battersea from premises in other boroughs):—
On register at 1st January 28
New registrations 1
On register 31st December 29
A total of 301 visits were made to these shops during the year.
Generally they are very well conducted. In no case was any contravention
of the Statutory requirements found.