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8. Of the 11 adulterated milk samples for which proceedings
were. taken the adulteration varied from 10.3 to
17.0 per cent. of added water, and from 5.3 to 14.6 per cent.
deficiency in fat.
The fines varied from 10s. to £20. The latter fine was in the
case of a vendor in North Woolwich who carried a can of
water in his cart.
9. Sampling. Of the 318 milk samples, 89 were taken
on Sundays or Bank Holidays; 2 of these were found adulterated.
In the past three years 3.3 per cent. of samples
taken on Sunday were found adulterated, and in the preceding
four years 5 per cent.
31 samples were taken on arrival at railway stations, none
of which were found adulterated.
Informal Samples. By the request of the Public Health
Committee, I reported as follows with respect to the practice
of informal sampling:— "When a sample is bought with a
view to proceedings under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act,
it must be divided into three parts—one to be handed to the
vendor, one for the analyst, and one to be kept for future
reference. Thus the Public Analyst only obtains one-third
of the amount bought. The Analyst usually requires a
considerable amount of the article purchased for the sake of
making a complete analysis. It therefore follows that for
proceedings to follow the taking of a sample a considerable
amount of the article in question must be bought. As the
Food and Drugs Inspector is well known in the locality, it
is the usual practice to purchase samples by means of an
an agent, male or female. Adulteration takes place most