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even when an appeal to the Court against the decision is inevitable,
than to obtain sufficient evidence even to justify Police Court
proceedings, to say nothing of the difficulties that arise in obtaining
a conviction that will prevent repetition of an offence. Preliminary
enquiries by the Pood Inspector as to requirements of registration
prevent, also, many unsuitable premises being put into occupation
for the preparation of food when the necessities of the case are
explained to the prospective occupier.
Registration Powers as regards Soundness and Cleanliness of
Food.—Not for one moment do 1 suggest that the proposed setting up
of food standards to prevent adulteration is not overdue, and not
for one moment do I suggest that the time and money expended, for
instance, in maintaining the very reasonable standard of milk content
(3 per cent. fat and 8.5 per cent. solids not fat) is extravagant,
but comparison between our activities in that direction and as
regards enforcing the cleanliness of foods, owing, of course, to the
many difficulties of proof, and the time which is required in obtaining
evidence as well as the never-ending legal difficulties which arise
in these cases, sometimes gives an erroneous impression that we are
less interested in this question of dirty food. No doubt we really
require more knowledge and improved methods of estimating the
presence of harmful bacteria and so forth to enable us to take
adequate proceedings in the Police Court except in glaring instances
as regards dirty food. It is all the more reason why we should, if
possible, endeavour to obtain improvements in production and distribution
that would prevent such food being exposed for sale. We
can claim as regards milk that under our registration powers, with
possibly a few exceptions that prove the rule, milk is not, as
so often used to be the case, made dirty in London. In the milk
trade we are able, generally speaking, to enforce clean conditions
in the retail trade, and where dirt is present it is due to faulty
conditions On the farms. The valuable powers we have arising from
registration of dairies and purveyors of milk should be exercised
to the fullest extent, and no departure permitted from the conditions
imposed before registration is granted. Considerable annoyance
is felt, for instance, by the owners of open-fronted lock-up shops in
Hackney that they are not permitted to sell loose cream. One such
disappointed applicant appealed to the Police Court, and the Magistrate
adjourned the case to visit the premises. After the Magistrate
had visited the premises he refused the application, but commented
on the fact that such foods as butter, cheese, biscuits, bread, sweets,
pastries, dates and so forth, were permitted to be sold from stalls
and open-fronted shops, continually exposed to contamination from
dust, whereas the local authority, rightly, in his opinion, refused
registration of those premises in order to prevent cream being sold
from tins which were only opened during the filling of cartons which
were also closed immediately after filling. Action, of course, would