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landlord is prevented from obtaining increased rent for the period a certificate of disrepair is in force
and must satisfy the local authority that the condition of the house complies with the requirements
of the Act before the certificate can be revoked.
Applications for certificates were dealt with by the Town Clerk and referred to the Medical Officer
of Health for decision. Each application necessitated a visit by the Sanitary Inspector and on his
report the Medical Officer of Health was able to recommend the issue or refusal of a certificate.
By the end of the year 26 applications had been made by tenants of 11 houses, 22 certificates had
been issued and 12 revoked. Although there were fewer applications for certificates of disrepair than
might have been expected it is probable that the number of notices of repairs increase served by
landlords was also less than expected. Many landlords considered they could not fulfil the requirements
necessary before a repairs increase could be obtained and others, no doubt, were awaiting experience
of the administration and interpretation of the Act by the courts and local authorities before making
a decision. One company with extensive property in the borough was unable to serve notices of repairs
increases until late in the year, owing to the amount of work involved in calculating the increases and
preparing the notices, and consequently the applications for certificates of disrepair which followed
were not made until 1955.
SECTION E.—INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD.
Food and Drugs Analysis.—Samples of eighty-five different kinds of foodstuffs and twelve varieties of
drugs were taken and analysed under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, the fee paid for analysis being
£1 Is. Od. for each milk sample and £1 15s. Od. for each other sample.
The Public Analyst (Mr. Thomas McLachlan) has submitted the following report on the year's
work :—
During the year 1954, 622 samples of foods and drugs were examined. Of these 571 were taken
formally and 51 informally.
The number adulterated or incorrectly labelled was 46, or 7.3 per cent. The incidence of
adulteration may be classified as follows:—
Number of samples Number and percentages
examined. incorrect.
Milk 238 16 (2.5%)
Other foods 368 29 (4.6%)
Drugs 16 1 (6.25%)
Adverse reports were made on two samples of pasteurised milk and 14 samples of hot milk.
One sample of pasteurised milk was 5.1 per cent, deficient in fat, and another contained 1 per
cent, of added water. One hot milk was found to contain 23 per cent, of added water and was also
37 per cent, deficient in fat, whilst another was 11 per cent, deficient in fat. Ten further samples
contained respectively 1, 4, 9, 9, 11, 13, 13, 14, 18 and 25 per cent, of added water, whilst two
samples were reported as inferior because they contained 0.6 per cent, and 0.8 per cent, of added
water.
A sample of unsalted butter was submitted for analysis because a purchaser complained that it
was rancid. It possessed a cheesy odour and taste, and analysis showed it to contain 0.7 per cent,
acidity calculated as oleic acid and 0.9 per cent, of salt. Although unpleasant, it was not considered
to be dangerous and was reported as inferior. Products such as fresh butter can only be made and
sold quickly.
A sample of margarine contained 16.4 per cent, of water. The Food and Drugs Act, section
32 (1) (b) requires margarine to contain not more than 16 per cent, of water, and this sample
therefore contained 2.5 per cent, excess water.
Two samples of brie cheese contained respectively 16.9 per cent, fat, equivalent to 39.5 per cent,
fat calculated on the dry matter, and 16.7 per cent, fat, equivalent to 41.5 per cent, fat calculated
on the dry matter. A sample of camembert cheese (45 per cent, de Matiere Grasse) contained
16.3 per cent, of fat, equivalent to 37.2 per cent, of fat calculated on the dry matter, and was
therefore 17 per cent, deficient in milk fat. In this country brie cheese and camembert cheese are
generally considered to be full cream milk cheeses and not to be made from partially skimmed
milk. A cheese labelled "Double Creme Fromage de Monsieur Fromage, 60 per cent, de Mat.
Grasses", was found to contain 60 per cent, of fatty matter but a double cream cheese should
contain not less than 65 per cent, of milk fat.
A sample of fresh orange drink contained from 1.2 to 2.5 lbs. orange per 10 gallons, and 0.4
to 1.0 mg. of vitamin C. per fl. oz. and .was considered to be at least 50 per cent, deficient in orange
and to possess insufficient vitamin C to warrant the description " Fresh Orange Drink". Since