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86
with articles sold to the poor, and the poor, of necessity, buy
their food in very small quantities; it follows that a tradesman
will suspect a poor person who asks for a larger amount
of an article than usual. In order, therefore, to discover
in the first instance whether a suspected vendor is selling an
adulterated article, it is wise to instruct the agent to obtain
a very small quantity of the suspected article, such as the
poor people in the neighbourhood would be likely to ask for.
If this is not divided, it is sufficient to make an analysis, and,
if the analysis proves adulteration, it is then necessary to
obtain a formal sample, and sometimes it is necessary, before
doing so, for the agent to increase the purchases gradually
until a sufficient amount is bought to enable the necessary
division to be made and the purchase to be completed according
to the requirements of the Act.
The Local Government Board has repeatedly recommended
that a larger number of samples should be taken informally.
The following extracts are taken from the last Annual Report
of the Board:—
'We have referred in recent Reports to the practice
of taking samples without observing the various formalities
required by the Acts. Informal sampling is
employed by local authorities to discover, without
arousing the suspicions of traders, where adulteration is
being practised, and to take appropriate steps afterwards
to obtain formal samples with a view to the exposure
and punishment of offenders. Of 103,221 samples taken
for analysis during 1911, at least 19,000 were taken
informally. The authorities in the Metropolis took only
7.1 per cent. of their samples informally, but 23 per cent.
were thus taken in the remainder of the country. In
172 of the 233 districts samples are taken informally.