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76
Seven pounds of unsound beef exposed for sale in a restaurant was
seized in August. After hearing the explanation of the vendor, the
Committee considered it sufficient to caution him.
Tuberculous Meat.—In consequence of representations made by the
City Council resulting from the seizure in 1911 of pigs which had
been sold in the Central Meat Market, the Corporation of the City of
London issued a notice to salesmen in their market calling their
attention to the necessity for the thorough examination of all meat
(especially pork) before offering the same for sale, and pointing out to
them that in the case of pigs the glands of the head and neck should
be carefully cut into and examined. The notice also directs attention to
the legal liability which rests upon salesmen.
Subsequently a pork butcher in Westminster, upon whose premises
a pig had been seized in November, 1911, sued the salesman in the
Central Meat Market from whom he had bought the pig, in the High
Court,
The defendants denied that there was any condition or warranty
with regard to the meat, and endeavoured to show that there was no
custom in that market to sell meat with an express or implied warranty.
They supported this by saying that they had the rules of an association
of meat salesmen in the market which governed the procedure, but the
Judge (Mr. Justice Coleridge) said that "when these rules were examined
it would be seen that they were obviously drawn up for regulating the
business relations between the people who sent the meat to the market
to be disposed of and the people who disposed of the meat."
The defendants also denied that the carcase was tuberculous.
The jury found against the defendants on all these points, and
awarded damages.
Foot and Mouth Disease,—The Local Government Board issued a
circular (10th July, 1912) asking for specially strict supervision over
the meat supply with a view to the detection of meat or offal showing
signs of this disease. Several outbreaks of the disease occurred at
that time in various parts of the country.