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114
The Paddington Borough Council and the Woolwich Borough
Council appealed to the Local Government Board and the Board
of Agriculture to promote legislation in the matter, the Woolwich
Council suggesting the repeal of the Warranty Sections of the
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, leaving the person selling the
adulterated article to his common law remedy against the person
from whom he purchased for damages for breach of warranty.
The Public Health and Housing Committee were of opinion
legislation on the matter is urgently required, and that so long as
vendors are enabled to rely upon a warranty as a defence against
charges of adulteration, the conviction of offenders will become
increasingly difficult to obtain.
The Committee recommended to the Council that the Local
Government Board and the Board of Agriculture be urged to
promote legislation for the repeal of the clauses of the Sale of
Food and Drugs Acts enabling warranties to be set up in defence
in cases of prosecution of vendors of adulterated articles; or for
an amendment of the law so as to require the retail dealer relying
upon a warranty to bring before the Court for conviction in his
stead the person giving the warranty.
The Camberwell Borough Council addressed a communication
to the Local Government Board requesting them to take such
steps as may be necessary in order that a limit may be fixed to
the amount of boracic acid which may be mixed with food. At
present there is no standard with regard to the amount of preservative
which should be allowed. The Committee recommended
the Council to support the application of the Camberwell Borough
Council to the Local Government Board.
A letter was received from the Board of Agriculture forwarding
the following extract from the report of one of their Inspectors
on the subject of the number of samples taken under the Sale
of Food and Drugs Acts, in the Borough, for analysis, and requesting
the observations of the Council thereon:—