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61
The following official publications were also issued during the year, and contain
a mass of information which will be found of the greatest service to those interested
in the welfare of the community from a Public Health point of view.
Final Report of Royal Commission on Human and Animal Tuberculosis
(see p. 44).
Report of Dr. Hamill on Presence of Calcium Sulphate in Baking Powder
and Self-Raising Flour (see p. 64).
Report of Dr. Hamill on Nutritive Value of Bread made from different
varieties of Wheat Flour.
Report (1) on Bleaching of Flour and the addition of so-called "improvers"
to Flour (Dr. Hamill)'; (II.) on the Chemical changes produced in
Flours by Bleaching (Dr. Gr. W. Monier-Williams).
Report of the late Dr. H. Timbrell Bulstrode on Shellfish other than
Oysters in relation to Disease (see p. 83).
PROTECTION OF ANIMALS ACT, 1911,
The Protection of Animals Act, which received the Royal Assent on the
18th August, 1911, consolidates, amends, and extends certain enactments relating
to animals, and to knackers, and makes further provisions in respect thereto.
The principal provisions of the Act are confined to the prevention of cruelty to
animals and the infliction of increased penalties for offences of this nature, and as
such, hardly comes within the purview of your Medical Officer of Health.
Section 5 is the only part that has any relation to the work of the Sanitary
Committee—as the Sanitary Authority for the City of London.
This section enacts that no person shall carry on the trade or business of a
knacker without a licence, such licence to have attached to it certain prescribed fixed
conditions as well as any others which the Licensing Authorities, for sanitary purposes
or to prevent cruelty, may think it desirable to attach.
The fixed conditions referred to are somewhat stricter than those heretofore
imposed.
Section 2 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, is repealed so far as knackers
and knackers' yards are concerned, Section 5 of the new Act being substituted
therefore, and for the purposes of that section the Common Council is the Authority
in the City of London.
The placing on the Statute Book of any measure giving increased power to
Sanitary Authorities in relation to the trade of a knacker is eminently satisfactory,
but the successful passage of this measure through the Houses of Parliament will not
in any way affect the Corporation, as by virtue of Section 97 of the City of London
Sewers Act, 1848, the establishment of the trade or business of a knacker within the
City limits is forbidden under a penalty not exceeding Five Pounds, and the like
penalty for every day after the first upon which such offence shall be continued.
The expression "knacker" within the meaning of the Act means "a person
whose trade or business it is to kill any cattle not killed for the purpose of the
flesh being sold as butchers' meat."