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trust that the action which the Home Secretary proposes to take
will have the effect of inducing the Magistrates to inflict
adequate penalties, which under the Statutes they are fully empowered
to do, and thus prevent to a far greater extent the gross
frauds which have hitherto been practised upon the public
by unscrupulous tradesmen.
An important point has been raised under the Margarine
Act upon a summons taken out by the Vestry against a person
for exposing for sale margarine which was not labelled in
accordance with the provisions of the Margarine Act.
The summons was heard before Mr. F. Mead, the Magistrate
sittingatthe Wandsworth Police Court, on the 26th February, who
decided that inasmuch as the article was not exposed to view it
was not exposed for sale. The Solicitor in pursuance of the
instructions of the Sanitary Committee, applied for a case
to be stated for the opinion of a Superior Court, and the Magistrate
having granted the application the case is shortly expected
to come before the Court for argument.
The Food and Drugs Act provides that the penalties inflicted
under that Act shall be paid to the Vestry to be applied in aid
of expenses incurred in the execution of the Act, and the amount
received by the Vestry from this source during the past year
was £9 12s. 6d.
The Margarine Act, however, provides that the penalties
recovered under that Act may, if the Court so direct, be paid to
the person who proceeds for the same to reimburse him for the
legal costs of obtaining the analysis and any other reasonable
expenses to which the Court shall consider him entitled, and the
Court have not thought fit to award the Vestry in any case
under this Act more than the costs of the summons.
Appoint-ment of Assistant Inspector of Nuisances. In Tune, Mr. J. E. Evans, one of the Assistant
Inspectors of Nuisances, resigned his appointment,
and in response to advertisements twenty-six applications
for the office were received. The Sanitary Committee
having selected three Candidates, the Vestry on the 10th July
appointed Mr. Isaac Young to the post at a salary of £91 per
annum, the amount paid to Mr. Evans.