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106
In accordance with the powers conferred upon the Council by Part V. of the
London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, the Council has during 1922
made and renewed agreements with certain metropolitan borough councils for the
cleansing of verminous inmates of licensed common lodging-houses and their clothing.
Offensive
businesses.

The Council for some time past has considered the conditions under which the
businesses of a fur-skin dresser and a slaughterer of poultry have been conducted,
and after careful investigation decided that in many instances such businesses
constituted a nuisance and a danger to health. Accordingly early in 1920 it made
orders declaring these businesses to be offensive businesses within the meaning of
section 19 (1) (6) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and the Minister of Health
confirmed the Orders. The Council on 20th December, 1921, made by-laws for
regulating the conduct of the business of a fur-skin dresser, and these by-laws were
confirmed by the Minister of Health on 22nd March, 1922. Draft by-laws for
regulating the conduct of the business of a slaughterer of poultry and a ragandbone
dealer are under consideration.
Cowhouses.
The numbers of cowhouses licensed by the Council are as follows:—1915, 154;
1916, 145; 1917, 141; 1918, 132; 1919, 1l6; 1920, 107; 1921, 101; 1922, 100.
Tuberculous
milk.
Under the powers conferred upon the Council by Part IV. of the London County
Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, samples of milk forwarded to London from
places outside the county are examined. In 1922, 2,284 samples from milk consigned
to London railway termini from 35 counties were submitted for bacteriological
examination. Of these samples, 60, or 2.6 per cent., yielded tubercle bacilli as
against 3.48 per cent. in 1921, 5.9 per cent. in 1920, 6.5 per cent. in 1919, 7.4 per cent.
in 1918, 10.3 per cent. in 1917, and 8.7 per cent. in 1916. In connection with these
samples the veterinary inspector visited 82 farms and examined 2,699 cows. It was
found that 45 cows, i.e., 1.34 per cent., showed signs of tuberculosis or were otherwise
unhealthy. In each case the farmer undertook to have the animal slaughtered and
meanwhile not again to use the milk. In addition the inspector re-visited 355 farms,
and inspected 12,517 cows; all the animals examined at these re-visits were found tobe
in a satisfactory condition with the exception of 108 which appeared to be tuberculous.
In each instance the owner undertook to have the animal removed. At the
request of the City Corporation four farms, the milk from which was found on analysis
to be infected with tuberculosis, were also inspected. Of the 231 cows examined,
three were found to be suffering from generalised tuberculosis and one from tuberculosis
of the udder. The usual arrangements were made with the farmer for the
disposal of the animals affected.
A sum of £14 was paid in complete settlement of a claim for compensation owing
to the withholding from sale of certain milk from a cow suspected to have been
tuberculous.
During 1922 four inspections were made of the cows in 107 London cowsheds,
and the total number of examinations made was 7,283. One case of generalised
tuberculosis was detected, and the owner undertook to slaughter the animal
immediately, while in 92 cases other unhealthy conditions were found.
Milk supply
and storage.
The Milk and Dairies Act, 1914, was repealed in 1915 by the Milk and Dairies
(Consolidation) Act, which consolidated the law set out in the Act of 1914, with
certain provisions of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts, 1878 and 1886, and the
Food and Drugs Act, 1899. It was provided that the Act of 1915 should come into
operation on such date, not later than one year after the war, as the Minister of