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The premises are regularly visited, and a few minor defects were
found and remedied. The Cows and Sheds are generally kept in a good
condition.
The majority of the Milk consumed here comes from without the
district, and no Infectious Disease, or spreading, was traced to its
influence, but in August an inquest was held concerning the death of
an infant aged five months, and the jury returned a verdict of "death
due to Sickness and Diarrhœa accelerated by the presence of Formalin in
the milk."
The doctor in attendance prior to death suspected the milk as
causing the Diarrhoea and Sickness, and had some analysed by a local
chemist. From the latter's evidence it appeared no quantitative
analysis was made, and he could not say how much Formalin had been
added.
The Milk-seller, in his evidence, said that the milk in question was
not produced in this district, and as a large quantity sold by him came
from different farms in Essex, he was unable to trace the source of it,
but at no time, or on any occasion, were preservatives used by him.
Mr. West, in his evidence, proved that in only one sample was a trace
of Formalin detected out of the numbers sent to the Public Analyst
during the year, and that the dairy where the suspected milk was
procured was "kept in most excellent order."
In 1901, a Departmental Committee of the Local Government Board
reported that the use of Formaldehyde, or preparations thereof, in
articles of food and drink should be prohibited, and here we have milk
procured from one of the most respected and upright vendors, unconsciously,
I firmly believe, containing this substance as alleged by the
doctor that caused the illness and subsequent death of an infant.
What better argument for my recommendations on page 54 ?
OFFENSIVE TRADES.
Two of these are established in the Northern Ward, but no serious
complaints have been made of their giving rise to any nuisance.
That they require careful watching, owing to the number of pigs kept,
was made clear from Mr. West's Report for 1903 re Swine Fever.
Apart from this keeping of pigs, the fat boiling causes very little
nuisance.
Just recently, an application to establish a much more offensive
business, necessitating gut scraping with its attendant maladours, was
refused upon my advice.