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28
SURVEYOR'S DEPARTMENT.
In the beginning of the year Mr. G. W. Thompson, the clerk in the
Surveyor's department, resigned, having been elected Surveyor to the
district of St. Olave, St. Thomas, and St. John, Southwark. In May,
Mr. Frederick William Barratt was elected Surveyor, at the salary of
£350 a year, with a view of it being raised to £450 a year by an
annual increase of not less than £25. At a subsequent meeting in the
same month Mr. Robert Ernest Morgan was elected clerk in the
Surveyor's department in the place of Mr. Thompson.
REGULATIONS UNDER Sec. 35 OF SANITARY ACT, 1866.
Another draft of regulations under section 35 of the Sanitary Act,
1866, was prepared by the Sanitary Committee, and printed and
circulated. The Vestry declined to adopt the regulations, and the
Clerk was directed to inform the Local Government Board that
regulations had been prepared and considered, but that the Vestry was
unanimously of opinion that it was unnecessary to make the regulations,
as the special efforts made since the threatened outbreak of
Cholera, and the knowledge acquired, had led the Vestry to the
conclusion that the existing powers are sufficient.
FOOD AND DRUGS ACT.
The Quarterly Reports of the Public Analyst for the year ended
Lady-day, 1885, are as follows:—
For the Quarter ending June 24th, 1884.
Analytical Laboratory,
Vestry Hall, Harrow Road, W.,
August 10th, 1884.
To the Vestry of the Parish of St. Matthew, Bethnal Green.
Chairman and Gentlemen,—During the quarter ending June 24th, your
Inspectors have submitted to me for analysis 55 samples of food. This total
was made up of 34 samples of Butter, 14 of Condensed Milk, 3 of Coffee, 2 of
Milk, 1 of Condensed Milk and Cocoa, and 1 of Condensed Milk and Coffee.
Of the 34 samples of Butter, no less than 22 were adulterated ; in fact only
one of these 22 samples contained even a trace of real butter, the others being
composed of beef fat, mixed with a little curd, salt, water, and colouring matter.
They were not injurious to health in any way, being good and wholesome
articles of food; but they were sold for butter, and usually at the price of
inferior butter. In this way, competing with the real article, they served to
keep up the price of butter, and themselves brought an extravagant profit to the
vendors. I am informed that Butterine could be sold at from 8d. to 10d. per