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44
CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE ACTS.
Applications for certificates for the purpose of obtaining exemptions from the
payment of inhabited house duty waa received respecting 115 dwellings, 75 of which
belonged to the Borough Council. They were all inspected, and found in a sanitary
condition and the necessary certificates granted.
STREET MARKETS AND FOOD.
The usual supervision was exercised by the sanitary officers over the street
markets and the food exposed for sale. Steps were taken as far as practicable with a
view to the prevention of animal and vegetable refuse being deposited and allowed to
remain in the roadway and on the footpaths. Frequent inspections were made for the
detection of unsound food. Generally, it may be stated, that the quality of the various
food stuffs exposed for sale was excellent.
The following articles of food were destroyed as unfit for food during the year:—
mutton, 3 legs, 11 necks, and 2 pieces; beef, 9 legs; pork and mutton, 2£ cwt.; beef
and mutton, in joints, half-a-ton; 1 barrel of conger eels; 63 lbs. of roes; over
2½ cwt. of cheeses; 15 boxes of bananas; 24 baskets of cherries; besides sundry
other articles, including kidneys, rabbits and bacon.
In several instances the unsound articles were brought under the notice of the
Council officers by the tradesmen themselves. With respect to the cheeses which were
seized they were found in a shed in Bacchus Walk and were taken before a magistrate
for condemnation. An order was made and they were destroyed. No proceedings
were taken, as the owner absconded and could not be found.
The following case of food poisoning through the accidental contamination of a
summer drink, fortunately without serious results, came under my observation and is
worth recording:—On September 6th complaint was received that some six or eight
men employed in the Whiston Street Gas Works had been suddenly taken ill with
symptoms of poisoning after drinking of a temperance beverage which they were in
the habit of consuming in the summer time. The chief symptom complained of was
vomiting. Enquiry shewed good reason 'for believing that the drink was the cause
of the symptoms, and the manufacturer thereof was at once communicated with and
the necessary steps were taken to prevent any further sale of the beverage and to
recall what had already been distributed for sale. The contents of some of the
bottles containing the drink were submitted to Dr. Stevenson, the Public Analyst, and
it was found that water, tartaric acid, sugar, flavouring and colouring matters entered
into the composition of the beverage. It was found also to contain an injurious proportion
of salt of copper. The Analyst stated that the copper salt had not been
introduced as an ordinary soluble salt of copper, but had doubtless been formed by