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51
on 21st August and became operative on 1st October of the curent
year.
Premises registered at 31st December, 1956 ... ... 55
Persons registered at 31st December, 1956 ... ... 60
Rag Flock and Other Filling Materials Act, 1951.—The
introduction of this Act, which became operative on the 1st
November, 1951, brought about the repeal of the previous Rag and
Flock Acts of 1911 and 1928 as well as Section 136 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1936.
This Act seeks to secure the use of clean filling materials in
upholstered or other articles which are stuffed or lined and it can be
said to be a consolidation of the previous Acts of 1911 and 1928.
It is the duty of the Local Authority to enforce the Act and the
Medical Officer of Health and the Public Health Inspectors, being
duly authorised officers of the Council, have the right at all reasonable
times and on production of their ' authority ' to enter and
inspect premises and take samples for the purposes of the Act.
Three premises, at which filling and upholstering with new
materials is carried out, remained on the register at the end of the
year and one licence in respect of the manufacture of Rag Flock
was renewed.
Regulations prescribe the standards of cleanliness for each type
of filling material to which the Act applies and under the Rag Flock
and Other Filling Materials Regulations, 1951, five samples, 2 of
Rag Flock, 1 each of Kapok, Kapok mixture and Coir Fibre were
obtained and submitted for examination. All proved satisfactory.
Pet Animals Act, 1951.—This Act, introduced to regulate the
sale cf pet animals with particular reference to their welfare prior
to sale, became operative from 1st April, 1952, since when it became
an offence to keep a pet shop except under licence from the Local
Authority.
The Act defines " the keeping of a pet shop " as the carrying
on at premises of any nature (including a private dwelling) of a
business of selling animals as pets and as including the keeping of
animals in such premises with a view to their being sold in the
course of such business, whether by the keeper thereof or by any
other person. The term "animal" includes any form of vertebrate.
" Premises " includes any stall or barrow in a market but not any
stall elsewhere or any part of a street or public place.
Licences, renewable annually, are issued on payment of 10/and
are valid to the 31st December of each year.