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90
Milk.
Of the two hundred and sixty milks analysed, twenty-one
were adulterated, giving a percentage of adulteration of 8.1.
Sixteen of the adulterated samples were deficient in nonfatty
solids in amounts ranging from 1.4 to 9.6 per cent.,
three were deficient in fat—5.0, 5.6 and 9.0 per cent.
respectively—and two were deficient in both constituents;
in one of these there was a deficiency of 8.3 per cent. in
non-fatty solids and 8.0 per cent, in fat, whilst in the other
the corresponding deficiencies were 2.3 per cent. and 8.4
per cent.
Nineteen of the twenty-one adulterated milk samples
were taken from consignments of milk upon their arrival at
wholesale depots in the Borough from farmers or were
actually taken at farms in the country as ''Appeal to Cow"
samples. Of 238 samples of milk taken from Hammersmith
dairymen, only 2 were adulterated. A percentage
of 84—an extremely low figure. In both of these cases
it was thought that the adulteration was accidental and not
wilful, and letters of warning were addressed to the vendors
by the Public Health Committee.
The large percentage of adulterated samples taken from
farmers is due to the fact that in addition to routine
sampling by the Council's officers, a careful check is kept
upon all milk arriving at their depots by the large wholesale
dairies, and when supplies from a particular source
are suspected the Council's sampling officer is called in.
The following table shows the average content of fat
and non-fatty solids in the milk samples, calculated month
by month. From these figures it will be seen that, on the
whole, the milk sold in Hammersmith was of good quality
and well above the minimum standard of the Sale of Milk
Regulations, i.e., 3 per cent. milk fat and 8.5 per cent.
solids not fat.