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190
Itinerant Milk Vendors and Vessels Containing Water on Their
Vehicles.
The Stepney Borough Council called attention to a practice adopted
by a certain class of milk vendors of carrying on their vehicles, when selling
milk by retail, vessels containing water side by side with vessels containing
pure milk, and of pouring water into the can they are about to deliver
to a customer and adding a quantity of milk. If a sample be taken in the
course of delivery and the vendor declares at the time a sample is demanded
by an Inspector that he is selling a mixture of milk and water^ no
conviction can be obtained, and the evidence of the consumer that unadulterated
milk was expected is liable to be tampered with before the
hearing.
The Stepney Borough Council, therefore, urged the Local Government
Board to promote legislation to make the sale of milk and water for
human consumption illegal, and to prohibit milk sellers from carrying
water in addition to milk upon their vehicles.
The Public Health and Housing Committee recommended the
Council—
That the action of the Stepney Borough Council in the matter
be supported.
Suggested Repeal of Clauses Relating to Warranties.
The Public Health and Housing Committee considered the circumstances
of the prosecution of a milk seller of Benledi Street, in respect of a
sample of milk found on analysis to be deficient in fat to the extent of
15 per cent. The summons was dismissed on production of a written
warranty from the wholesale vendors, who obtained their milk from
farmers in the country, who gave the company a written warranty.
The Committee considered the question of proceeding against the wholesale
vendors in this case, but in view of the fact that the same company
had already successfully appealed against a conviction, on proof of
warranty to them, the Committee were advised a prosecution would
probably be unsuccessful.
The operation of the provisions of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts
in respect of warranties is to render ineffective the protection against
adulteration intended to be afforded by the act to consumers, especially
where the vendors are in a large way of business.
The Committee on previous occasions directed attention to similar
cases, and were of opinion the clauses relating to warranties should be
repealed, and that the retailer should be absolutely responsible for the