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25
this important commodity would be for it to be manufactured
and prepacked by machinery, untouched by hand from start
to finish.
It would be possible for me to write extensively on this
subject, but with the whole matter being so indefinite at the
present time it would, perhaps, not be appropriate to do so. I
do feel, however, that some amendment is required to section
14 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938. Under this only premises
where ice cream is sold, manufactured or stored are required
to be registered. Consequently a person retailing ice-cream
from a barrow need not be registered in the district where he
is selling the commodity so long as he does not manufacture or
store it on premises situated in that area. In my opinion this
is wrong. Any person selling ice cream should be required to
register in whichever area he is so doing.
SMOKE ABATEMENT.
Much as 1 should like to report improvement in conditions
under this heading, I am unable to do so. Some factory and
laundry chimneys have given a good deal of trouble and have
been responsible for complaints and many visits. It is not that
the managements or the boiler staff have been unaware of the
trouble.1 am satisfied that in most cases genuine attempts have
been made to grapple with the problem.
Two reasons stand out as being the primary causes of
the deterioration in the position. One has been the inferior or
unsuitable fuel available and the second is that, owing to the
increased output demanded from factories in order to cope with
the export drive, the boilers have had to be unduly forced in
order to maintain the head of steam required for this purpose.
Placed in the first category one laundry chimney gave much
trouble through grit emission and to overcome this and at some
considerable expense, a new grit catcher was being installed
at the end of the year. The trouble here was that inferior fuel
made it impossible for the stoker to maintain a head of steam
anything like sufficient to keep work going and to remedy this,
abnormal forced draught was employed resulting in much of
the fuel dust being blown up the chimney unburnt. This eventually
found its way on and into surrounding houses, much to
the annoyance of the occupiers. 1 am able to say that since
the grit catcher was installed (during January 1947) very great
improvement has resulted and 1 hope, therefore, that this
problem has been solved.
The work of installing oil burning apparatus to the main
boilers at one factory (referred to in my last report) was com-