View report page

123
already exists in so many directions. The principal value of this
power would be to control dealers who buy up large quantities of
indifferent food at extremely low prices for the purpose of sorting
out what is unsaleable and placing the remainder on the market at
unusually low prices, but giving sufficient return to yield substantial
profit on the whole transaction. In a sense, many of these operations
are gambles, but the buyer is likely to have elastic judgment
as to fitness or otherwise of his stock. However, the Metropolitan
Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee, to whom the matter was
referred, decided on the 4th June, 1928, to take no further action.
This decision was arrived at as a result of a successful case taken
by Finsbury under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, Sec. 47
—Finsbury Borough Council v. Alee, heard at the Old Bailey in
February, 1928. This case, in the opinion of the legal advisers of
Hackney, differed in the most important particulars from the
Poplar case, since the jury found in this instance that the meat had
been tampered with in a way likely to deceive the Inspector. It
was held on the particular facts of that case that meat unfit for
human consumption was deposited for sale for human consumption.
What is needed, however, is compulsory notification of unsound
food, to facilitate proceedings where such food is distributed by
sorters who often are themselves retailers, or to facilitate examination
of food stored with that end in view. In other words, powers
which, in the majority of instances, will prevent unsound food
being deposited for sale.
It is impossible under present circumstances to meet the defence,
unless the food is actually in the shops or on the stalls, that the food
is not intended for human consumption or is merely awaiting sorting.
(The excuse is always put forward that such food is about to be
sorted or used for animal food, for manure, or is awaiting destruction.)
The following are instances of methods of preparing foods
known to have been adopted in Hackney:—
1. Buying imported unlabelled condensed milk which was
below standard by wholesale dealers for sale to retailers
who provide their own labels;
2. A dealer admittedly buys damaged goods for sorting, but as
the goods are not sold to the public in the same district, it
is difficult to obtain a conviction. This dealer employs a
man to re-shape tins of food that are blown or bent out of
shape and to re-cover jars of jam, the covers of which have
been broken or where the jam has mildewed or become
covered with dirt. Such goods have been sold to the public
in another town from stalls;
3. Unsound salmon and pilchards were surrendered by a
tradesman in the provinces, the goods having been consigned
to him by a dealer in Hackney. This dealer's