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57
Under the Act the Medical Officer of Health and the Sanitary
Inspector are authorised Officers for all purposes of the Act.
Included in the duties imposed upon the Sanitary Inspector
is the taking of samples of food and drugs.
In Leyton in the past, these duties have been administered
by. the Essex County Council.
The expression "Food and Drugs Authority" means:—
"as respects a county borough, and also as respects any
non-county borough or urban district which has according
to the last published census for the time being a population of
forty thousand or upwards, the local authority;
Provided that—
(a) if a county council satisfy the Minister that the area
or areas in respect of which they would be the Food and Drugs
Authority would be rendered inconvenient in size, shape or
situation for the efficient performance of their duties as the
Food and Drugs Authority, the Minister may direct that the
county council shall be the Food and Drugs Authority as
respects the district or districts of any one or more of the
local authorities, who, but for such a direction, would be Food
and Drugs Authorities under this Act, but were not such
authorities under the law in force immediately before the
commencement thereof;
(b) on the application of the local authority of any noncounty
borough or urban district which has according to the
last published census for the time being a population of twenty
thousand or upwards but less than forty thousand, the Minister
may direct that the local authority shall, in lieu of the county
council, be the Food and Drugs Authority as respects their
district."
At the end of the year it was not known what attitude the
Essex County Council would adopt with regard to the matter.