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The desire is expressed in several of the annual reports for increased powers to refuse to register
milk vendors whose premises do not come up to the required standard and to remove from the register
such milk vendors who are already registered, and satisfaction is expressed with the proposal of the
County Council to seek powers from Parliament for these purposes. The Council's General Powers
Bill for 1908 contained a clause with this object, which, after modification in respect of the tribunal
of appeal, has since received Parliamentary sanction. Several of the reports state that greater cleanliness
than before is being observed in the conduct of this business. It is, however, especially in
respect of the management of dairy farms in the country that improvement is needed. Abundant
evidence is contained in the reports of the medical inspectors of the Local Government Board of the
neglect in many districts to observe even elementary conditions of cleanliness in cowsheds, and urban
communities, like London, where milk derived from these scources is consumed, have no redress. A
return presented to the House of Commons, dated the 13th May, 1907, showed that in a quarter
of the rural districts, regulations under the Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops Order of 1885,
had not been made. No information is given in this return as to whether the regulations
are enforced in those districts where they have been made. The Council's General Powers
Bill of 1907, contained a clause dealing with milk so dirty as to be unfit for human consumption, but
this clause was deleted from the Bill on the second reading, in the expectation that the Government
would in the next session introduce a measure for improving the conditions under which milk is produced.
With respect to tuberculous milk, clauses empowering the Council inter alia to take samples
of milk in London and to prohibit the supply of milk from cows having tubercular disease of the udder
were also included in the General Powers Bill of that year and after modification, received the sanction
of Parliament. These powers are those contained in " the model clauses " and are practically all
that the legislature is prepared to assent to in private Bills at the present time. While they are,
admittedly, in their actual form, difficult of administration, they nevertheless give opportunity for
the gradual development of useful administrative action. The most urgent need at the present time
is a system of veterinary inspection by local authorities of cows in dairy farms and the elimination
of the milk of tuberculous animals from the milk supply in order that urban communities be protected
against the risk of tuberculous disease due to tuberculous milk.
Offensive Businesses.
In the year 1907 the County Council received 301 applications for licences for slaughterhouses
and granted 294. The following table shows the number of applications received and the number of
slaughterhouses licensed in recent years. It will be seen that the number of these premises is continually
decreasing:—