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208
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
26 per cent. In this case the magistrate inflicted a penalty of £20
with £3 5s. costs.
The sale of separated milk offers very great temptation to the
ordinary milk carrier, that is, the servant employed by the retailer,
and it is known that many of these separated milk vendors sell a
quantity to carriers in order that the said carriers may supplement
their wages. This is a grave menace to the honest retailer, who is
entirely at the mercy of his servant, for as the present law stands
the master is liable for the action of his servant, and in one
instance during the year the Inspector was successful in actually
seeing the adulteration committed.
In any future legislation with regard to milk it is imperative
that the sale of separated milk should be prohibited entirely, or as
an alternative it should only be sold from churns and vessels distinctly
coloured, say a bright red, as is done in Chicago, and that
new milk shall not be sold from the same barrow or cart.
The public would thus be protected from the substitution of
the inferior for the genuine article.
Whilst dealing with this subject I may point out the diminution
in the number of cases in which milk is found to be adulterated
with water. This class of offence is rapidly dying out, and
in my opinion it is principally due to the facilities which obtain at
the present time for the dishonest trader to obtain separated milk,
there being not so great a risk of detection in the addition of
separated milk to new milk as in the old method of dilution by
water.
I am pleased to report that in no instance during the year has
it been necessary to institute proceedings against any tradesman
for refusing to serve the Inspector, or for obstructing him in the
execution of his duty.