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caused several of the remaining tins to be opened, which had been passed
as sound. I found the contents to be quite unwholesome, and they were
ultimately destroyed.
(3) On Tuesday, June 4th, proceedings were taken against Messrs. Field
and Co., Eastcheap, for having sold 69 cases of condensed milk to Mr. David
Weir, well knowing that this milk was unsound and unfit for human consumption.
Mr. Palmer—the manager—was summoned for aiding and abetting
the defendants. A large number of the defendant Company's milk, lying at
the wharf, was found on examination to be had. 112 cases, or 78 per cent,
of the total were condemned and afterwards destroyed.
The defence was that the milk was sold to Weir for pig feeding.
Against this, however, was:—
(1) The price paid for it, viz.: 2s. 9d. a case, which would be
twice the value of milk sold for pig feeding.
(2) The defendants admitted that a number of the cases had been
opened for Weir's inspection, previous to his buying them.
There would be no need for this, if they were sold for pig
feeding.
(3) 2,000 labels were sold to Weir at the same time, by the
defendants, for putting on the tins, which were unlabelled.
(4) There was no mention of pig feeding on the invoices.
Messrs. Field and Co. were fined £25 and £5 5s. costs, and Mr. Palmer
£25 and £5 5s. costs.
There were 131 cases of milk belonging to Messrs. Field and Co. at
another wharf. I refused to let them be removed until the tins were sorted.
The whole were eventually surrendered and destroyed. As 114 cases were previously
destroyed from this wharf, the total amount destroyed belonging to
Messrs. Field on the two wharves, was 1,357 cases ; each case contained 48 tins.
As a result of information given to Camberwell and Shoreditch Borough
Councils, seizures were made in those Districts, which included milk that had
been originally bought from Messrs. Field, and 200 cases of Field's milk
were surrendered to the Southwark Medical Officer of Health.