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74
(2.) Power to require a dairyman to furnish to the Medical Officer
of the district a list of the sources of his supply.
This is an important item, and one which might be very useful in
tracing any epidemic supposed to be due to diseased milk.
(3.) Power to the Sanitary Authority to compensate a milk vendor
whose milk supply is stopped at the request of the authority
on account of suspicion that it is infective, and whose milk
is, as the result of further inquiry, subsequently determined
not to have been infective.
This is obviously a proper provision.
This Report further points out the unavoidable loss of time involved
by the procedure laid down in Section 71, requiring a meeting of the
Sanitary Authority in order to forbid and stop the supply of milk
from any particular dairy.
It is suggested that, to avoid delay as far as possible, a procedure
should be adopted similar to that applied to the closure of schools under
the Education Code. This is as follows:—
Under ordinary circumstances the Order is made by the Authority,
but, in case of emergency, any two members may act on the advice
of the Medical Officer of Health, reporting to the Sanitary Authority
at its next meeting.
Taken generally, then, I am of the opinion that there would be no
objection to the London County Council obtaining the powers in the
direction they indicate, and the Committee would probably be prepared
to approve of the action they are taking, and support them so far as
possible, provided always that similar powers were given to the
Corporation within its limits.
A further point which was suggested by the consideration of the above
question was the anomalous position of your Public Health Department as
regards the Dairies and Milkshops Order, the powers under which at the
present time are delegated to the Inspectors of Weights and Measures.
This Order was in the hands of the Cattle Markets Committee from 1885
to 1891, when it was transferred to the County Purposes Committee.
The provisions of the Order are purely sanitary, and can only be efficiently
carried out by properly qualified officers. I have, therefore, to recommend
that these duties be transferred from the existing Authority and placed under
the sole control of your Public Health Department.