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Most of these cases were reported during the latter half of June, and at
present the number is reported to be rapidly diminishing.
While apparently, therefore, there is no reason to fear an invasion of cholera,
it behoves every Sanitary Authority to take the utmost precautions possible
without causing any excitement or panic.
All vessels arriving from Spanish ports are specially visited, and careful
inquiries made as to the health of all on board, during both the voyage,
and their stay in the foreign ports.
UNSOUND FOOD.
The quantity of unsound food dealt with by your Officers has been small,
although the number of seizures has been somewhat larger than usual.
The total amount of meat condemned and destroyed during the six months
has been 1,988 carcases of mutton, and 278 pieces or part carcases, five pieces
of beef, and 61 boxes of kidneys.
Other miscellaneous seizures of food comprised 6,800 boxes of oranges,
32 cases of apples, 8 cases of pears, 13 cases of pineapples, one case of German
sausages, 2 cases of salmon, 2 cases of sardines, and 10 cases of vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables are simply destroyed by mixing with refuse, and used as
manure. The meat, though unfit for food, has a definite commercial value.
By the instructions of your Worshipful Committee it is sold, under arrangement,
to a contractor, who boils it down under the supervision of your Officers
in order to extract the fat, the residuum being used as a manure.
The amount thus obtained, after the deduction of expenses actually paid, is
handed to the consignee, together with a certificate of the destruction.
The Corporation, therefore, at the present time, is actually paying the
consignee the value of the meat (as unsound), and giving the time and services
of their Officers for this purpose gratuitously, and [ would submit that is
wrong in principle.
If a reasonable deduction from the nett value (after deduction of expenses)
of say 10 or 20 per cent, were made, this, although it would not amount to
a large sum, would practically reimburse the Authority for the sum expended
on supervision.
In this way, without any hardship whatever, an average income of say
50Z. a year might be assured. I would, therefore, commend this question to
your consideration.