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Manufacturing Purposes.—40 cartons Canned Hams (washy); 270 cases Canned Cherries (blown).
Refining.—81 drums Lard (dirty and contaminated); 861 bags Sugar Sweepings (dirty); 966 tons
Sugar (wet, bilge and sea water damaged).
Industrial Purposes.—94 bags Gelatine (flood water damaged); 1 cask Sheep Casings (uncertificated).
Re-Export.—50 cartons Canned Luncheon Meat (springers); 1 case Canned Chinese Pork Sausages
(uncertificated) ; 20 casks Beef Casings (uncertificated); 10 casks Sheep Casings (uncertificated
and /or incorrect official certificate).
PUBLIC HEALTH (IMPORTED FOOD) REGULATIONS, 1937 and 1948.
Official Certificates.
During the year five Circulars were received from the Ministry of Pood directing that the Minister
has caused to be published in the London Gazette, notices containing in the Schedule thereto descriptions
of certificates issued by the Sudan Government, the Government of Eritrea, the Government
of the Falkland Islands, the Government of Greece and the Protectorate of Bechuanaland, which
have been recognised as Official Certificates for the purposes of the Public Health (Imported Food)
Regulations, 1937 and 1948.
THE FOOD AND DRUGS (WHALEMEAT) REGULATIONS, 1949 and 1950.
Veterinary Certificates.
Two Circulars were received from the Ministry of Food directing that the Minister has caused
to be published in the London Gazette, notices containing in the Schedule thereto, descriptions of
labels issued by the Government of Norway and the Government of Denmark (in respect of whalemeat
from the Faroe Islands) which have been recognised as Veterinary Certificates for the purposes
of the Food and Drugs (Whalemeat) Regulations, 1949 and 1950.
DANGEROUS DRUGS.
During the year twenty-nine certificates authorising the purchase of scheduled Dangerous Drugs
were issued under the Dangerous Drugs (No. 3) Regulations, 1923, amending the Dangerous Drugs
Regulations, 1921, Regulation 15 of which is as follows:—
" If a foreign ship in any port in Great Britain requires to obtain a supply of any of the
drugs in order to complete the necessary equipment of the ship, the master of the ship is authorised
to purchase and be in possession of such quantity of any of the drugs as may be certified by the
Medical Officer of Health of the Port where the ship is (or in his absence by the Assistant Medical
Officer of Health) to be necessary for the purpose, the quantity not to exceed what is required
for the use of the ship until it next reaches its home port. The certificate given by the Medical
Officer of Health of the Port shall be marked by the supplier with the date of supply and shall be
retained by him and kept available for inspection."
PUBLIC HEALTH ACT, 1936. PART X—CANAL BOATS.
On the 15th January, 1954, the Port Medical Officer made a report on the steps taken to carry
into effect the provisions of Part X of the Public Health Act, 1936, relating to Canal Boats within
the district of the Port Health Authority, during the year ended 31st December, 1953.
Twelve vessels were inspected during the year all of which were found to be satisfactory. In
one instance a verbal warning was given to the Master who failed at the time of inspection, to produce
the Certificate of Registration.
No new boats were registered during the year under review, the actual number of Canal Boats
on the Register on the 31st December, 1953, being 156.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
A consignment of 100 cases of Tomato Concentrate arrived in the London Docks on the 29th
January, 1953, from Palermo.
The consignment was detained and one of the tins was submitted to your Public Analyst as a
routine for examination for metallic contamination. Subsequently a further six tins were submitted
for examination, resulting in several of the tins showing the presence of tin in excess of the limit
recommended by the Metallic Contamination Sub-Committee of the Ministry of Food.
An application was made to the appropriate Magistrate by Mr. Comptroller and City Solicitor
for an Order condemning as unsound the above-mentioned consignment.
On the 3rd March, 1953, the Assistant Solicitor appeared before the Magistrate sitting at the
Thames Magistrates' Court when the application was adjourned until the 9th idem at the request of
Counsel for the importers of the food.
On the 9th March, 1953, the Assistant Solicitor again appeared before the Magistrate and applied
for an Order condemning the food on the ground that it was unwholesome as the food contained an
excessive amount of tin and your Medical Officer, the Public Analyst and a Sanitary Inspector gave
evidence in support of the application, after which a Director of the importers and four analysts
gave evidence against the application.
After hearing the whole of the evidence the Magistrate dismissed the application on the grounds
that the excess percentage of tin in the food was very small, there was no evidence of injury to health
and the standard recommended by the Ministry of Food was merely advisory and not statutory.
The Magistrate refused to grant costs to the defendants.
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