THURSDAY JULY 5, 1900.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 15, 5 July 1900, Page 2

THURSDAY JULY 5, 1900.

We learn by telegraph from Wellington that the proceedings of the Municipal Conference, to be hold on July 16th, are going to be marked by many proposals of that socially progressive type which is characteristic of the times. This is part of the programme already outlined :—: — Included in the Order Paper for the Municipal Coi ferenee, which opens at Wellington on July 16th, are the following notices of motion : That all kinds of meat offered for sale "within any boiough flhonld be previously inspected by a duly appointed inspector before beins? slaughtered. That tho Slaughtering Bill of 1809 bo pabtted into law. That for carryingout efficiently the Adulteration Pievention Act, 1880, Government analysts shall visit all towns in the colony, periodically. That the subdivision of quarter-acre sections in towns be prohibited. That school teachers' residences should be rated. That all Govern- . menfc properties in boroughs be rated. That all railway stations and wharves be rated. That the Hospital and Charitable Aid Acia be amended so as to give equal representation /m the Boird to counties and boroughs. That legislation should provide for the | Government and fire insurance companies contributing to the cost of maintaining fire brigades. That borough councils should control the expenses incurred in tho election and management of licensing committees. Tauranga and Timaru consider that persons renting premises for a few days and selling therein, by licensed auctioneer or otherwise, shipments of lots of drapery, fancy goods and other wares should be taxed. There is sufficient contained in these measures to interest every borough throughout New Zealand. The first proposal that affects ourselves is the compulsory inspection of our meat supply. This is now looked upon as a sanitary precaution as necessary as the abatement of tbe cesspool nuisance, which gives rise to such" animated discussions in the Borough Council. The Slaughter House Inspection Act -was introduced by the Hon. John McKenzie, in 1897, and was to come into force m 1898. It provides for the compulsory erection of an abbatoir in every borough of 1500 inhabitants, and on turning to the New Zealand Year Book we find the official statistics state that this Borough population is 1500. This Bill was not passed, but ■ was referred to the Agricultural and Stock Committee, and in October, last year, in reply to Mr Seddon'e question as to when the Bill would be brought down, Mr Lawry, Chairman of the Com-

mittee, said : " Next session." I :is therefore more than probabl< that the Bill will this year appeal with, some alterations. It may b« urged that the vrseent estimate o* the population oC this borough ifnot a fair computation bused on the last census, but the new census will be taken next year, probably in April, when it is likely that 1500 will be very near the actual number, as revealed by the census. The Act provides that the money may be found by loan, on a vote of the ratepayers, ■>ut Clause JO takes the power out if the hands of the Ideal authority, who, by " special order,'' may authorise the loan without submitting it to the ratepayers. It f will be seen that the original Act its a stringent mea&ura ahd, in this < district, would almost certainly lead to the floating of a small loan. When received from the Agricultural Committee, it may appear in an amended form, but it is necessary that the residents here should closely watch the Bill. While the erection of abbafcoirs is in itself highly to be commended, it is very doubtful if, in a small | community like this, a less stringent measure would not suffice for all our needs. It is evident, however, that the central authorities are going to insist on the thorough inspection of meat in all boroughs. The next suggestion for the Municipal Conference to debate is that a Government analyst should visit every town periodically. Some of the revelations of unfair trading that have come to light in the Magistrate's Court in Bunedin alone, point to the necessity .for some precautions. The retailers here, buy frequently from wholesale houses in Christohurch and DunerUn, while these again deal with large firms on the Continent and in Great Britain. When a retailer is charged with selling adulterated pepper, which i consists principally of sand and other inexpensive ingredients, he urges that he paid the wholesale house the price for the article supposed to be of good marketable value. The New Zealand warehoußo throws the blame on the foreign one, and the foreign one cannot be reached. It is unfortunate that it is not the manufacturer who adulterates who is usually proceeded atraiust in courts of law, and sometimes it seems the innocent suffer. The time has past, however, when we can make all our purchases on the principle, " let the buyer beware." It is impossible for the buyer to be a judge of onetwentieth of the articles he buys daily, nor could he spare the time if he were .skilled in f analysis. This proposal is | somewhat on the same lines as that regulating the weight of bread. If the consumer is to be protected it is only the last retailer who can be reached. If he finds to hia cost that „ articles he supplies are not what they are sold for, he -complains to his wholesale merchant, and if the wholesale merchant finds himself losing his customers, the original manufacturers will ultimately be reached, and the consumer in the end profits. It is a pity that direct action could not be taken against the original offender, but it seems impossible in the present state of society that this can be done. Those who strongly uphold the sale of liquor complain that it is bad liquor that does most of the harm. This may be true, and if the legislature does pass into law an Act as suggested, it is hoped that the liquor sellers, who adulterate or sell inferior spirits, will be quickly weeded out. Adulteration has become such an art among mannf acturere, and so much sophisticated made

p stuffs of all sort are foisted on .a unsuspecting public that State uterference seems to be the nly method of improving natters, clumsy system though it j ! >e. Bread and sugar are said to ;>e the only articles of food sold pure. Yet sugar sometimes has moisture added to it to increase its weight, while bread frequently contains alum in order to make inferior flour look white and increase its weight by taking up moisture ; the vinegar of the low class oyster saloon is diluted sulphuric acid coloured with burnt sugar, mustard is tremendously adulterated with flour ginger, cayenne pepper and other thingß, in faci pure mustard costs in England 2s per lb ; while popper is only too often replaced by dust, sand, powdered rice or flour, and even bone dust. These .ire only a few of the frauds practised on the public, and an occasional visit from a public analyst, will set the retailers and wholesale merchants on the alert to trace these iniquities to their source.