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from 1887-1891, 11.7%; and from 1892-1896, 10.6%. In
1896 the adulterated samples formed 9.2%. The salutary
effect of the Act in reducing the adulteration of food and drugs is
thus seen to be considerable, and it must be further borne in mind
that almost all those articles of a nature injurious to health, which
were previously employed for purposes of sophistication, have now
completely dropped out of employment.
The only way to entirely stamp out adulteration is to render it
unprofitable, yet over a third of the fines inflicted during 1896 were
of 10s. and under. (Annual Report of the Local Government Board
for 1896-7.)
London does not. succeed in reducing its high rate of milk
adulteration. In 1896, 17.7% of the samples taken were adulterated,
as against 9.1% for the rest of England. The necessity for the
supervision of the milk supply on Sundays is particularly great in
London, and during the year six Sunday samples were taken in
Stoke Newington.
It is extremely rare that anything besides chicory is used
for the adulteration of coffee, and this form of adulteration has
considerably waned during the past year or two; it amounted
to 8.7% of' the samples taken in England and Wales during
the year 1896. For the same year butter samples were found
to be adulterated to the extent of 8.8%; spirits, 15.6%; and drugs,
ll.3 %. In this Parish, therefore, the extent to which adulteration
of food and drugs is practiced is very low, if one excludes milk
and butter.
The number of cheap brands of condensed milk upon the market
in which the milk has been previously skimmed or partly separated,
has materially increased; and I would repeat the warning contained
in my last Annual Report, that parishioners will do well to abstain
from purchasing them.