"Smack in the Face”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 309, 21 March 1928, Page 1

"Smack in the Face”

road board reproved FAILURE TO PROSECUTE breaches OF HEALTH ACT “It it a smack in the face for ... board, and a well-deserved ‘ » declared Mr. E. F. Jones at , meeting of the Mount Roskill Road Board last evening, when ... health officer. Dr. Chesson, wrote reprimanding the board for not prosecuting where a breach o) the Health Act had been committed. .. & letter read at the board’s meet--1 Ing last evening the medical officer of health, Dr. Chesson, exressed -surprise that the board had solved not to proceed against a shopkeeper, who had been given due warning of the breaches of the health regulations, of which she appeared to he guilty; hail taken no heed of the inspector's warnings and had assumed attitude of defiance. I am not prepared that any officer ol my department should be so treated by the public without action being taken.” said Dr. Chesson. “and I instructed the Inspector to proceed with the prosecutions. I am pleased to state that she was convicted of selling icecream without the written permission o( your board, and fined £1 and costs Ms She was also convicted and fined ft and 10s costs for depositing rubbish on the public road. “I* must point out to your board that it is essential that the regulations of the department and the bylaws of the board, in regard to matters afTecting health, and the Health Act generally, must be enforced,” concluded the letter. The board's legal advisers wrote stating that the inspector had telephoned them that the board did not wish to proceed any further in the matter, so he had conferred with the chief health officer, who had agreed to take up the prosecutions. The chairman said that the board had a duty to perform in upholding the action of the Health Department. “No doubt,” said Mr. Jones, “it is a smack in the face for the board and a well deserved one. If we fail to stand by our officials it is time we went out ol office as a board. The health of the community is of paramount importance. Contamination goes on through the sale of doubtful ice-cream and If we do not insist on the observation of the health regulations the Health Department is perfectly justiled in ignoring us altogether. I conpatulate the department on taking action In a case that we should have takau up ourselves.” Sr. L. A. Tozer said there were extectutlag circumstances in connection with this case. The board had stayed its hand, as it had been led to believe that the inspector’s instructions had been complied with and was only awaiting the inspector’s confirmation of this report. Mr. J. R. Robertsoft: We issued the licence, therefore we are the guilty party. The inspector, who was present, said that his instructions had not been carried out in their entirety, and on the motion of the chairman it was decided to endorse the action taken by j lie inspector and the Department of \ Health.