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52
Four premises are registered for the use of filling materials for
upholstery purposes. Samples were taken of coir fibre and washed flock,
both of which were satisfactory.
Pet Animals Act, 1951
This Act, which came into force on April 1, 1952, makes it an
offence to keep a pet shop except under licence granted by a local
authority in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Licences are
issued on application, provided a fee of 10s. Od. is paid and that the
premises are approved by the council's inspectors and subject to
conditions specified in the licence to secure that:—
(i) animals will at all times be kept in accommodation suitable
as respects size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness;
(ii) animals will be adequately supplied with suitable food and
drink and (so far as necessary) visited at suitable intervals;
(iii) animals, being mammals, will not be sold at too early an age;
(iv) all reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread
among animals of infectious diseases;
(v) appropriate steps will taken in case of fire or other emergency.
Conditions to be specified in the licences have been approved by
the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee in order to
ensure uniformity in the metropolitan area, and have been adopted by
this Council.
It is an offence to sell animals as pets in any part of a street or
public place (except at a stall or barrow in a market) and to sell such
animals to a person where there is reasonable cause to believe that
such person is under the age of twelve years.
Premises at which a business is conducted for the purpose of selling
animals as pets includes a private dwelling. A licence is not required
where a person keeps or sells only pedigree animals bred by him or
the offspring of an animal kept by him as a pet, and where a person
sells animals as pets in conjunction with a business of breeding pedigree
animals and where the animals so sold were acquired for breeding or
show purposes and have subsequently been found not to be suitable
or required for such use the local authority may direct that the person
concerned shall not be deemed to keep a pet shop by reason only of his
carrying on the firstmentioned business.
The expression "animal" has a wide definition under the Act
and includes any description of vertebrate.
During the year 21 premises were licensed as pet shops. In the
main, the sale of pets at these premises consists of cage birds and
tropical and coldwater fish. In general it has been found that pets are
kept for sale under conditions which do not call for any particular
comment and in no case has it been found necessary to attach any
special conditions (i.e., conditions other than the general conditions
already mentioned and specified in every licence) to any licence which
has been issued.