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44
IMPORTED GERMAN BUTTER.
An illustration of the existence of international co-operation in tracing the
movements of foodstuffs of questionable purity is afforded by the following
facts.
Late in the evening of the 22nd July, the City Police lodged information
with my Department that they had received a letter from the Hamburg
Police giving particulars of the dispatch from Breszow, Galicia, for express
delivery to the firm of Schenker and Co., of Hamburg, of a parcel of Butter,
which was not in conformity with the law as to butter and fat percentage,
and was in addition, unfit for human consumption on account of its rancid
condition.
The butter in question, which consisted of a consignment of 25 tubs was in
transit to England, and when received in Hamburg was transferred in charge
of a Customs Officer from the express goods shed to the harbour and shipped
in a steamship for delivery to Messrs. Schenker and Co., of Nos. 70-71, Bishopsgate
Street. The butter was not sampled by the Hamburg Authorities "as the
goods in question were transit merchandise."
The butter was received from Hamburg via Harwich at the Great Eastern
Railway Company's Depot at Goodman's Yard, and on Messrs. Schenker's
order, was delivered to the Central Creamery Co., Gray Street, Waterloo Road,
Lambeth, where the Lambeth Authorities informed me it was unfortunately
removed and passed into consumption before they received our notification,
which I may add, was communicated to them by telephone on the morning
after receipt of the information from the City Police.
Some little delay invariably occurs in tracking these cases, and it is regrettable
that the Authorities in this country were unable to lay hands on this
butter. This was, however, due in no part to the City Police, who acted with
the greatest promptitude in communicating with my Department at such a
late hour, in accordance with the arrangement made between myself and the
Commissioner of the City Police in the public interest for taking action in
cases of emergency, but to the fact that the delivery in Lambeth took place
two days before any intimation of the circumstances reached the City Police.