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office work.
per cent. of boric acid, subject to declaration by label. The case in point turned upon the
addition of 0.313 per cent. The evidence of witnesses who were concerned in the production of
"jar cream" indicated that the addition of the preservatives was not made in a scientific
manner. Certain of the witnesses admitted that they used proprietary preparations, the
composition of which was unknown to them. The amount added appeared to be only
approximately measured.
Much stress was laid on the difficulties alleged to be inherent to the use of cold storage
in the retail trade of "jar cream," but it cannot be said that the arguments were very
convincing. An ice-safe is neither costly to purchase nor to maintain.
Of the evidence as to the injury likely to result from the use of preservatives, nothing
need be said. It was a repetition of records of experiments, conclusions and opinions long
since made public. The decision of the Court involved questions of law as well as of fact.
The former involved the interpretation to be placed on Section 3 of the Sale of Food and
Drugs Act, 1875. That Section reads:—"No person shall mix . . . any article of food with
any ingredient or material so as to render the article injurious to health." The Court decided
as a point of law that the Section was intended to protect healthy adults, infants, and children,
but not abnormal adults or sick persons (including infants).
As a question of fact the Court decided (a) that cream is an article of diet of infants
and children, and (b) that the addition of 0.313 per cent. of boric acid to cream did render
such cream injurious to such persons.
The Court dismissed the Appeal, but consented to state a case on the point of law.*
OFFICE (CLERICAL) WORK.
The appended figures are intended only as an indication of the mass of work which has
to be performed by the Clerical Staff. The figures convey but a very imperfect idea of the
very large amount of writing which is necessary, the bulk of which cannot be set out in the
forms of statistics.
Letters received 4,005 (3,702) Complaints received 747 (845)
„ despatched 3,108 (2,810) Plans dealt with 471 (483)
Entries in postage book 10,237 (8,352) New openings in Journals 786 (970)
Cases of infectious disease
entered in Register 740 (1,083) Disinfection Orders
Notices sent re above 6,594 (7,581) (duplicate)2,377(1,879)
„ „ other Notices to abate nuisances 1,254 (1,158)
diseases 4,800 (4,962)
The figures in parentheses are the returns for 1906.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
The results of the cases which were brought before the Police Magistrate are appended
hereto. Only a small proportion of the cases referred to the Solicitor result in actual legal
proceedings, such cases forming fortunately a very small fraction of the cases dealt with under
notices. The Department is able to secure the abatement of nearly all nuisances by service
of "written intimations" which are not, in the legal sense, "notices" at all.
* The appeal was heard on June 1st, 1908, and dismissed. (See " The Times," June 2nd.)