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19
working of the Act, as regards the cases magisterially decided. As
many as twenty-one cases of adulteration were, however, detected
in the first quarter; but in every instance you were lenient
enough to allow a warning to be given on the first detection of
adulteration, so that the prosecutions only represent a second offence;
and thus, some of the grossest offenders have escaped.
Whatever, then, may be the opinion of outsiders, no parishioner
will be able to say that the Act has been too severely construed by
their representatives in the Yestry.
It may not be out of place to mention that Mr. Errington, on
one occasion, took six samples of Milk on a Sunday. This was for
the purpose of testing whether the sanctity of the day had any
effect upon the morality of the vendors, or whether it offered complete
immunity. Of the six samples, four were adulterated with
water, one was skimmed, and one was genuine.
I say one was genuine. And here I would wish to do justice
to many of the vendors. Some of the Milks sold in the parish
are of admirable quality. The following analysis is only a fair
illustration:—
Sp. Gr. 1.033.
Total Solids 13.02
Water 86.98
Tat 3.77
Solids,* not fat 9.25
100.00
*Ash 0.75
Salt in Ash 0.11
In calling attention to the adulteration of Milk by water, I
have not given any account of adulteration by abstraction. No. 109
is one of the worst of these cases, as the fat amounts only to
0.39 per cent. Here we have a Milk sold at the rate of fivepence
per quart, that ought to have been sold as mere skim milk, and is
of less value than an ordinary Milk adulterated with 15 per cent. of
water. It will be interesting to see what the new Act will do
for us.
The eight samples of Bread, and two of Flour, I found to be