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slaughtered by the humane killer. The Council by resolution continued
to enforce these provisions.
Section 3 of the same Act prohibits the slaughter or stunning of
animals in slaughterhouses except by persons licensed by the local
authority. At one time as many as 22 persons were licensed here.
MEAT DEPOT.
During the war years there was a meat depot in Canterbury Road.
Not designed for the purpose for which they were used, the premises for
a while were most unsuitable, though improvements were later effected.
The volume of food stuffs passing through the depot necessitated almost
the continued attendance in the daytime of one of the sanitary inspectors.
The weight of meat condemned was 12,391 lbs. The use of the premises
as a meat depot ceased on April 5th, 1945.
REGISTRATION OF HAWKERS.
Section 71 of the Middlesex County Council (General Powers) Act,
1938 (now re-enacted as section 279 of the 1944 Act), obliges a hawker
of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables himself to be registered with the local
authority, and obliges the owner of any premises used to see that they are
registered.
(C) OTHER FOODS.
Bakehouses.
There are 48 factory bakehouses in the district to which 53 visits
were paid in the course of the year.
Food Shops.
Food shops are visited regularly as a routine, apart from visits
following complaints. Large quantities of food stuffs are condemned and
voluntarily surrendered. 459 visits were paid to butchers' shops, 66 to
fish shops, 313 to provision shops, 106 to dairies and milk shops, and 52
to greengrocers.
The following amounts of food stuffs were condemned and surrendered:—2,964
tins, one third containing milk and another one-third
fish; 172 stone of fish; 45 cwt. fruit or vegetables; 1,420 lbs. dried
fruit; 1,494 lbs. cereals; 1,575 lbs. biscuits; 784 lbs. flour; 478 lbs.
sugar; 491 jars of jam, pickles or paste ; 38 packets of dried egg and
3,306 eggs.
(D) ADULTERATION OF FOOD.
In spite of the lead given by the Local Government and Public
Health Consolidation Committee set up with a view to recommending the
consolidation of local government and public health law that authorities
with a population of not less than 40,000 should become food and drug
authorities, the Minister of Health on the representation of the Middlesex
County Council declined to make an order endowing this authority with
such powers. Sampling of foodstuffs with a view to their being analysed
is, therefore, undertaken by the staff of the Public Control Department
of the Middlesex County Council.