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70
Rent Restrictions (Notice of Increase) Act, 1923.
Nine applications only were made by tenants for certificates
under this Act. 5 were granted, and in the remaining 4 cases the
work was carried out by the owners on receipt of my letter notifying
them that a certificate would be issued failing their immediate
attention to the schedule of defects.
Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928.
430 samples of food and drugs were taken under the above
Act, of which 145 were milk. 420 samples were reported by Dr.
Bernard Dyer, the Public Analyst, to be genuine articles of food.
Three samples of milk were deficient in fat. A summons was
taken out in one case, but could not be served as the offender
had absconded and at the date of writing has not been found.
With regard to the two other samples, no action was taken
on the advice of the Borough Analyst. He wrote:—" The
'Appeal to Cow' samples are just up to the mark in fat, but
I do not think the difference is such as to make it wise to take
any severe measures about 401 and 402 on account of the shortages.
It is quite possible that they are natural milk of the morning
milking, but no doubt the vendor will have his attention properly
called to the matter."
One sample of milk was reported to be "poor in quality but
possibly genuine." Subsequent tests did not disclose any adulteration.
One sample of whisky taken informally was found to be 42
degrees under proof, or seven degrees below the statutory limit.
A formal sample taken a few days later was found to be in order
and subsequent informal samples have also proved genuine.
A sample of tripe was found to contain sulphur di-oxide to
the extent of 180 parts per million contrary to the regulations
of the Ministry of Health. The offender was fined £5 and
10s. 6d. costs in January, 1930.
The remaining four samples were mixed herbs, which contained
from 4.7 to 7.7 per cent. of sand. In reference to these
samples Dr. Bernard Dyer wrote:—"I would suggest that it
might be politic to deal with the matter by caution rather than
by more severe steps because I have never before, as far as I
remember, made an analysis of mixed herbs and I am not prepared
to say what percentage of sand is usually present in such
a mixture of herbs when carefully gathered or how much it is