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choose to exercise their power of procuring samples
for analyses. In many of the Metropolitan districts,
in a large number of important boroughs, and in about
half the counties, this power is exercised to an extent
that may be considered fairly satisfactory, but on the
other hand, there are many districts in which nothing
at all is done in the matter. This is the case in the
majority of the smaller boroughs, and the same may
be said of a large proportion of the rural districts.
The following table shows the number of samples
examined during the year and the percentage of cases
in which adulteration was reported:—
Examined.
Adulterated.
1882.
Percentage
adulterated.
1883.
Percentage
adulterated.
Milk
8,119
1,626
19.6
20.0
Bread
1,041
28
6.4
2.7
Flour
473
2
0.6
0.4
Butter
1,311
236
13.9
18.0
Coffee
1,208
281
18.7
19.1
Sugar
270
—
—
—
Mustard
801
120
17.9
15.0
Pickles (including tinned
vegetables)
55
—
2.6
—
Jam
134
5
8.2
3.7
Confectionery
214
—
—
—
Wine
89
4
2.8
4.5
Beer
402
8
55
2.0
Spirits
2,174
489
25.3
22.5
Drugs
304
50
14.5
16.4
Other Articles
3,053
156
4.8
5.1
Totals
19,648
2,955
15.07
15.04
It will be observed from this table that the proportion
of adulterated samples is rather more than 15 per