CITY FOOD SUPPLIES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 9, 5 July 1911, Page 3

CITY FOOD SUPPLIES

WORSE THAN CHICAGO!" DISGRACEFUL STATE OF THINGS IN AUCKLAND.

j Auckland, July 1. The report of Mr. Haynes, the City Council's chief sanitary inspector, on the question of food supplies and conditions discovered to be existing at certain shop* in the city, came before the City Council, and was the subject of considerable discussion. The Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) after reading the report to the council, said h* had taken upon himself to make; this report public, while suppressing name*. •Such a condition of things was hardly believable, and must be dealt with. Mr. Haynes pointed out that there were no less than- four authorities having power in the matter, although so confused had the position become that it did not seem clear which of the four was really the responsible one. There could be no question about it. however, such a disgraced state of affairs could not .be allowed to continue any longer than possible. It was of primary importance that purelycooked food should be obtained by citizens from the shops in which cooked food was vended. It was evident that the law of the country was so indefinite arid unsatisfactory on the question of dealing with food supplies that there was no less than four overlapping authorities, but which had power to deal with the subject il was difficult to say. Something must lie done to remedy the conditions referred to pending more definite legislation. and it seemed to him that it was for the council to take action. If what was slated in the report were true —and lie was satisfied that it was true —it was •a shocking thing to think that this sort of thing could happen while their inspector was powerless to put out bis finger to stop it. They must see that the food places of the city were above suspicion on this subject of cleanliness, and he moved, therefore, that the report be referred to the works eoiumittee. Mr. G. Read expressed the opinion that if people were keeping places in such a state of filth their names should be published. ''Why, it is a damnable state of all'airs! It is worse than Chicago!" exclaimed the councillor, heatedly. He suggested that a separate? committee should be set up to investigate the whole matter.

Mr. Shaw said he thought the council had cleaned up the city, hut evidently such was not the case. Those places were veritable plague spots, and if drastic means could not he obtained to

deal with the matter let it be dealt with, no matter what the cost. He agreed with Mr. Read that a special sanitary committee should .lie set up to deal with the matter.

Councillor J. Court thought a large share of responsibility for the state of affairs shown rested with the council itself, because he understood that within the last two years the staff of inspectors had been reduced. The council should deal with this question of food supply as it did some time ago with the milk. Councillor Knight was of opinon that there had been some neglect on the part of the city officials to enable matters to come to the state disclosed in the report, lie did not agree with suppressing the names of the owners of the premises reported oil because it reflected oil those who had clean bouses.

The Mayor pointed out that unless there was a positive "nuisance" apart from mere neglect, the inspector could not deal with the matter. Consequently he had no legal authority to deal with the greater part of the cases mentioned. What was before the Council was to get legal authority to act in such cases of carelessness which could be remedied in twenty-four hours.

Eventually the report was referred to the works committee, they to confer with the health oflicer, the inspector of factories and the inspector of police, as to the best means of remedying the present conditions. XEWSPAI'ER COMMENT.

The Star, dealing editorially witli the subject, says: —The report oil "Public Food .Supplies" submitted by the chief sanitary inspector to the City Council can hardly fail to shock and horrify the people of Auckland. We need not dwell at length upon the particularly loathsome and repulsive details which Mr. Ilavnes supplies in profusion. It is enough, and more than enough, to note tnat many of the buildings in which food is prepared for public consumption here are unfit and unventilated, infested with Hies and rats, and reeking with foulness and corruption. There is 110 reason to. believe that Mr. 'Havnes has ill any way exaggerated this horrible and disgusting evidence, winch depicts a condition of things to the last degree repugnant to the public sense of decency, and dangerous to the public health. At a. time when so much attention is given by scientific and medical authorities throughout the world to the prevalence of germ diseases and the risk of their transmission it may seem almost incredible that such conditions should exist in a civilised community, but the case is no menus unparalleled, and we can onlv regret, for the sake of our city's reputation that it. has become possum; or necessary to shock the sensibilities of our readers by forcing these deplorable facts upon their nonce.