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26
of course, these are only visible evidence of the dangerous
contamination to which the food has been subjected. Such contaminations
can be overcome only by the regular inspection and
supervision of the processes and premises concerned. Similarly
regarding work under the Shops Act and the Factories Act: it
was not possible to carry out the Council's legal responsibilities
in regard to such premises. These premises should receive
systematic and regular visits to ensure that the requirements of
the Acts are being complied with. To rely upon the receipt of
complaints before an inspection is made and then to take punitive
action is a most unsatisfactory procedure, contrary to good public
health practice and decidedly unfair to the numbers of people
working in such premises who rely upon the protection of the
above legislation and the local authority for their well-being.
This Council first began to lose sanitary inspectors at the time
that sanitary inspectors were able to obtain a higher salary elsewhere.
There is only one way that a staff of suitable sanitary
inspectors can be maintained in this Borough, and that is by
offering some inducement to the right type of man to apply for
vacancies. At present Hackney continues to lose experienced and
competent men and replaces those men with persons of less
experience. This has a detrimental effect upon the inspectors that
remain, and upon the general administration.