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enhancing of rents in this district is a greater evil than to
have to descend a flight or so of stairs for a pail of water.
Experiment shows that in the majority of three-storied
tenement houses in St. Marylebone, a leisurely descent from
the top story to the yard tap occupies 60 seconds. It may
be difficult to convince most stipendiary magistrates that
one minute's distance from a water supply is improper and
insufficient. It has also been pointed out that if it is
desirable to afford facilities for obtaining clean water on
every floor it is equally desirable to provide sinks and down
cast shafts to empty away refuse waters from every floor.
It is difficult indeed to know where to stop when the matter
of " convenience " is made the subject of legislative control.
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
(see table IX).
There have been 153 samples analysed during the
quarter, 9 of which were found to be adulterated, these
were all samples of milk. No preservatives were detected,
but in 5 samples there was a small amount of artificial
colouring matter.
A considerable number of infants' foods were examined.
In several cases there were statements on the labels not
completely borne out by analysis.
Much attention has lately been paid to the composition
of brandies, and several prosecutions in other districts have
taken place with varying results. The chief substance the
analyst relies upon to form a judgment whether the brandy
is a true French product distilled from the grape, is the
proportion that the esters bear to the alcoholic strength.
The brandies examined this quarter gave esters in the
proportion of from 107 to 133 per 100 litres of alcohol,
which is a fair proportion.
All the tinned goods, the jams, and the sweets were
tested for arsenic with a negative result.