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Council Act, 1944, was 16. Of these one was registered as a hawker of
fish, the rest in respect of greengrocery.
Four street traders were fined for trading in the district without
being registered or for trading after the hours permitted by the Shops
Hours of Closing Act. The fines imposed totalled £11.
(D) HYGIENE OF FOOD
In the Annual Report for 1949 it was reported: "By the end of the
year, then, it could be felt that real progress had been made in this
campaign. Contact with those concerned in the various sections of the
food industry demonstrated that many felt a very real interest in the
subject. The Food Hygiene Advisory Council, with its representatives
of the trade and of the Council, had been constituted and was the focus
of activity. All trades had agreed to a code of practice, and by the end
of the year the first applications for membership of the guild had been
received. Lastly, the first steps to interest and educate those immediately
concerned with the handling of food had been taken." Steady progress
has been made through the last year. Gratifying numbers of applications
for membership of the guild had been received, and by the end of the
year to nearly one-quarter of the establishments in the district dealing
with the preparation or sale of food the Council's certificate had been
issued and was being exhibited. At the same time the interest of the
housewife was being aroused, more especially by means of talks at meetings
of the members of the various organisations. The film strip which had
been obtained was found to be of real help at such gatherings.
During the year byelaws made under S. 15 of the Food and Drugs
Act came into force. Their purpose is the securing of the observance of
sanitary and cleanly conditions and practices in connection with the
handling, wrapping and delivery of food sold or intended for sale for
human consumption, and in connection with the sale or exposure for sale
in the open air of food intended for human consumption.
Under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, an urban district with a
population of 40,000 could be the Food and Drugs Authority, but: " If
a county council satisfies the Minister that the area or areas in respect of
which they would be the Food and Drugs Authority would be rendered
inconvenient in size, shape or situation for the efficient performance of
their duties as the Food and Drugs Authority, the Minister may direct
that the county council shall be the Food and Drugs Authority as respects
the district or districts of any one or more of the local authorities who,
but for such a direction, would be Food and Drugs Authorities under this
Act, but were not such authorities under the law in force immediately
before the commencement thereof." A number of authorities in Middlesex
opposed the County Council's representation to the Minister of Health
for a direction that the County Council should be the authority for such
county districts. The Minister issued the direction and the County
Council remained, as it had been before, the Food and Drugs Authority
for the whole of the county, carrying out its functions through the Public
Control Department. One result of the coming into operation of the Milk
(Special Designation) (Pasteurised and Sterilised Milk) Regulation, 1949,
was to transfer from the District Council to the County Council the