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16
SUMMONSES.
During the year ending the 25th March, 1879, the Sanitary
Committee authorised the issue of twenty-six summonses, twelve of
which were in relation to milk adulteration. One of the twelve
defendants, an aged man, escaped through illness, but the remainder
were convicted, and penalties varying from 10s. to £5 were
imposed, the fines in the aggregate amounting to £18. Two
of the twelve were fined £5, and 2s. costs each; one £2, and 2s.
costs; four £1, and 2s. costs each; and four 10s., and 2s. costs
each. Seven of the milk cases stood over for adjudication for some
months, owing to the Magistrate being unwilling to convict,
pending a decision in an appeal to the Superior Court upon a case
in which a Metropolitan Police-Magistrate, following the precedent
created by the Scotch Law Courts, had held that an Inspector purchasing
was not 'a prejudiced person' as he did not buy with his own
money for consumption, but with the money of the Local Authority
for analysis. The Judges of the Queen's Bench Division of the
High Court of Justice, reversed this decision of the Magistrate.
The Vestry prosecutions, which had remained in abeyance, were
then adjudicated upon, a conviction following in each case, although
small penalties only were inflicted in consideration of the loss of
time occasioned to the defendants by their several attendances at
the Police Court.
One person was prosecuted and fined £3, and 2s. costs, for
exposing for sale unsound fruit, which was seized by one of the
Inspectors. In a similar case a conviction could not be obtained
owing to the severe illness of the defendant.
One person was summoned twice for keeping cows without a
licence, the Magistrate on the first occasion inflicting the modified
penalty of £1 and 2s. costs; but on the second conviction he
imposed the full penalty of £5 and 2s. costs. A judicial order was
also obtained upon a separate summons against the same person,
prohibiting an accumulation of manure upon his premises.
Two summonses were issued against the owners of houses
for the recovery of the expense incurred by the Vestry in carrying
out disinfection work in consequence of the owners having failed