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"In our opinion the main factors in determining
whether a local authority should be a Food and Drugs
authority or not, are : —
(a) the extent to which the routine work of food inspection
and sampling in the area will represent something more
than occasional duties for the officers engaged on the work,
and
(b) the standard which the authority have achieved in their
public health arrangements.
The first of these factors is mainly determined by the size
of the population of the area and in this connection it Is
worth recording that the figures set out in paragraph 36 of
the Report of the Royal Commission indicate that the number
of samples examined in a year is roughly 3 per 1,000 of
the population. In judging the second it is relevant to consider
whether the authority employ on the one hand a
medical officer of health who is engaged exclusively in their
employment, or exclusively in the employment of public
authorities or on the other hand one who carried on a parttime
practice."
Having regard to the population a satisfactory number of
samples to be taken in Wembley would have been 300 per
annum, a number easily satisfying the Committee's criterion
(a), while also, of course, criterion (b) would also have been
respected.
The Consolidation Committee recommended that Borough
or Urban districts of a population of more than 40,000 should be
the Food and Drugs Authorities, pointing out with regard to
any suggestion that the authorities should remain the Councils
of Counties and County Boroughs that the size of the population
of an area 50 years ago is no criterion of fitness to administer
the Acts to-day. (County Boroughs were constituted on a
population basis of 50,000 in 1888).
It seemed, however, that the Middlesex County Council
still held the view that the Food and Drugs authority throughout
the County should be the Council of the Administrative
County.
From a public health point of view it is to be noted that
the total number of samples taken by the County Council as
regards Wembley has been small, while, too, a preponderating
proportion is milk. As the public health authority, the Borough
Council also take samples of the graded milks during the year,
making it redundant for the County Council to have taken such
a large number of milk samples. Considering in detail the type
of samples taken by the County Council, it is to be pointed out,
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