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39
ducted the case on the Board's behalf; this course, however
the Board declined to pursue. I may however say that I have
since obtained a conviction in a similar case where the same
price was paid although the adulteration was heavier but this
Was before another Magistrate, who inflicted a penalty of £5
and costs.
Among the rather numerous prosecutions for adulteration
of milk one failed owing to the defendants proving a
warranty. A summons was on the same day granted by the
Magistrate against the farmer, but this also fell through on
account of its being taken after the time limitation had expired.
During the past \ear there have been 43 prosecutions, in
37 of which the Board have been successful, being 86 percent.
of the prosecutions undertaken. This is very satisfactory,
especially taking into consideration the element of doubt
which exists in nearly all prosecutions.
I have from time to time received complaints as to obstructions
of footways, upon which I have served notices, this, in
the majority of cases, has had the desired effect, and I have
been successful in reducing the obstruction of footways about
the Borough Market and other parts of the district to the
lowest possible minimum In two cases only has it been
necessary to issue summonses. In the first case, which gave
some trouble, the whole of the articles complained of were
seized and removed to the Board's stone yard, and at the
hearing of the summons, the Magistrate inflicted the full
penalty and costs of summons and removal of the goods. In
the second cases the summons was adjourned for the Magistrate
to visit the place before he gave his decision. At the
adjourned hearing the Magistrate informed the defendant's
counsel that he had visited the place and must decide against
him, whereupon counsel offered to give an undertaking to
discontinue the obstruction, and asked that the summons
might be withdrawn. This was agreed to on payment of
23s. costs.
I have obtained and submitted for analysis 150 samples
under the "Food and Drugs Acts, 1675 and 1879, and the
"Margarine Act, 1887," which has been followed by 27 convictions,
against 11 last year. I may add that recently the
Board have ordered the number of samples to be increased
from 100 to 150 per annum, which, as I anticipated, has
resulted in a large increase in the number of convictions.
I have paid special attention to the removal of house refuse,
scavenging, cleansing and watering of the district, and have
found it necessary 011 several occasions to report default on