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The slaughter-houses on the whole are kept, so far as their construction will allow, in a
fairly satisfactory condition. The butchers still continue to buy mainly in the London wholesale
meat markets.
The Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924, continue to cause a considerable amount of
work, and the amount slaughtered has become to a large extent stabilised. The slaughtering is
often continued well into the evening to suit the personal convenience of the butchers.
Most of the butchers continue to accept the restrictions imposed by the Regulations in the
right spirit. In one instance a pig was slaughtered without notice and proceedings were instituted
against the owner. A fine of £3 was imposed. There has been established a feeling of confidence
in the decisions given and this is shown by the fact that the whole of the unsound and diseased
meat dealt with during slaughtering was surrendered.
When new butchers' shops are opened every effort is made to obtain fixed windows, but
with the absence of positive power to demand fixed windows, there is a tendency on the part of
some of the butchers to adopt a standstill attitude with regard to this most desirable method of
preventing contamination of the meat exposed for sale.
The provision of fixed glazed windows to many of the shops in the district has proved
beneficial both from the point of view of preventing contamination and maintaining longer the
saleable qualities of the meat. Having regard to this improvement in certain instances, the reason
for the absence of a positive policy on the matter in the Regulations is rather obscure and I venture
to suggest in fairness to those butchers who have provided fixed windows on request, that provisions
should be made, in the near future, for enforcing compulsorily, that all meat shall only be
exposed and sold behind fixed glazed windows without any qualifications.
Out of a total of 67 butchers' shops in the district, 46 are provided with fixed windows, 3
other shops are provided with one fixed window and one window made to open; 2 have one fixed
window and two windows made to open, and the remainder have windows made to open.
INSPECTION OF OTHER FOODS.
I have drawn attention in previous reports, to the want of perspective with regard to
butchers' windows, and the way in which sweets, dates, figs, and other sticky things are exposed
to contamination without let or hindrance. The large open multiple stores which are now coming
into being provide a very definite problem in this direction.
We are fortunate in this district in that one of the large multiple Stores have an extremely
progressive and enlightened Manager. I have discussed this matter with him on various occasions,
and he has moved to get something done. The result of his enthusiasm is the first covered sweet
stall in any of the firm's establishments. The result from a public health point of view is
excellent; the display is brighter and better than it ever was before; the sweets look fresh and
there is no bloom on them such as exists on all exposed sweets. The way in which it has been
carried out is certainly a triumph for public health, and also for the Manager, and it in no way
interferes with service behind the display.
The psychology of the public in the matter of food protection is extraordinary. Whilst we
are trying our utmost to protect their health, they on the other hand are doing their utmost to
defeat the efforts which we make.
Dealing with the biscuits exposed in this class of store, I tried to get these covered, but 1
was brought up against the hard fact that the purchasing public in these stores will not buy goods
unless they are freely exposed, although they do not handle them.
Again, I want to pay my tribute to the attempts which the Manager made to see what could
be done to packet and cover the biscuits in his store. It was found that only two varieties of
biscuits could be sold packeted in the ordinary way, namely, Cream Crackers and Ginger Nuts.
Attempts were made to introduce a celophane window with little or no result, and entire celophane
packing was introduced, with little better result—the public simply would not buy packeted biscuits.
Ultimately, by persistent efforts six varieties of biscuits were on sale, and those more or
less satisfactorily, with complete impervious covering.
As far as the tins were concerned, a great improvement was made by a loose sheet of plate
glass which fitted the 7 lb. tins and covered the biscuits so that they were exposed for sale as
visible as if they were not covered in.
The psychology, as I have said before, is extraordinary. The position is summed up in
a letter from one of the Directors of the firm, which is illuminating. " We have in some sections
been able to get the shopping public converted to the idea fairly quickly, but in other sections
where we have experimented the results have been disastrous as far as sales are concerned
We can assure you that we have ourselves explored this question from almost every angle, and
so far with only moderate success, but it is something which we always have before us and can
only await the time when the public are sufficiently educated to understand more thoroughly that
what is being done is being done for their benefit .... We are fully alive to the position in every
respect, but we must admit that the pioneering in this particular instance resolves itself into very
hard going without very much success to show for the effort made up to date."
The firm have tried their utmost to carry out the methods which their manager has to a
certain extent succeeded in carrying through in this district, but the records of their sales when
these public health measures have been put into force, have dropped so enormously that short of
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