H.—Sl

57

Offensive Trades. One permission has been granted to start an offensive trade. The offensive trades have been inspected from time to time and have been found as a rule to be carried on with as little nuisance as possible. The worst offender is the contractor for the removal of offal from the City Council abattoirs. Buildings unfit for Occupation. Eighteen certificates that buildings were unfit for occupation were issued. In numerous cases alterations and repairs were ordered and carried out in other buildings. Prosecutions. One person was convicted for exposure in a public place while suffering from scarlet fever. As the person was in poor circumstances no penalty was asked for. For neglecting to abate nuisances, two persons were fined respectively £1 and costs and £2 and costs. Private Hospitals. At the end of December last year there were fifty private hospitals licensed in this district. Of this number thirty-one have been granted renewals and the remainder are being held over for various reasons. Three premises were refused a license. Nine new hospitals have been licensed this year. In numerous cases improvements required and carried out in connection with the drainage. Medical Examinations. Five persons have been examined for the Telegraph Department, one person for the Department of Justice, one cadet for admission to the Civil Service, and two persons for admission to Cambridge Sanatorium. Adulteration of Food. Forty samples of ales and forty-one samples of whisky have been taken throughout the district. Analysis of these samples has failed to reveal any adulteration in the strict sense of the word. No injurious matter has been found present, either owing to the addition of such matter or owing to its arising during the process of manufacture. The absence of arsenic in beer is very satisfactory, as there was a possibility of the malting process giving rise to the presence of arsenic unknown to the brewer. The whisky was found satisfactory as far as the present standard provided by the Act is concerned, except that in two cases it contained less than the standard amount of alcohol. After taking these numerous samples of alcoholic liquors it was decided to take a few samples of temperance drinks. The analysis of these drinks is worth quoting in full. No. 1. No. 2. "tfo. 3. No. 4. Kop's Ale. Hop-beer. Jubilee Beer. Ginger-beer. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. [Per Cent. Alcohol (by weight) ■ .. .. 076 079 283 3-41 Extract .. . . 0-43 2-62 2-71 561 Ash, . 004 001 0-12 008 Acid (tartaric) ".'. .. •• 0-06 0"07 0-10 0-40 Glycerine ■• •• 2-00 Preservatives Nil Nil Nil Nu Poisonous metals ... ..Nil Nil Nil Nu The extracts in Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are chiefly sugar. Samples 1 and 2 are good samples of temperance drinks. The amount of alcohol found in No. 4 nearly approaches that found in an ordinary lager-beer. As the presence of alcohol in these drinks cannot be dealt with under the Adulteration Prevention Act, it was decided, after consultation with you, to send the results of the analysis to the Inspector of Police and the Collector of Customs for them to deal with under the Acts respectively administered by them. There is little doubt that if more samples were taken many of them would be found to contain an excessive amount of alcohol. Milk-supply. At the request of Dr. Valintine, Acting Chief Health Officer, an inspection was made of the milksupply in various towns in the district, and the report thereon submitted. The main conclusions of the report were : The chief difficulties in the wa" of obtaining a pure milk-supply are as follows: (1.) The large number of small dairies which need constant inspection. (2.) Deficient water-supply : This difficulty does not exist so much in the Christchurch District—where the artesian water-supply is almost without exception extremely good—as in some other towns where the absence of a proper watersupply causes deficient cleanliness,' and gives no facilities for cooling the milk. (3.) Short leases :It is difficult to get leaseholders to make improvement when they have only short leases, and it is worthy of remark that the best dairy that I have seen was a freehold property. It is now generally agreed among experts on this subject that the ideal milk-supply includes among other details the milking of cows under the best sanitary conditions, the immediate cooling of the milk, and the storage and delivery to the consumer in sealed bottles. The extra expense incurred could be largely if not wholly covered by a more economical system of distribution. The waste of time and money in delivering milk under the present system is obvious. The Christchurch Dairy Company can buy milk at current prices, treat it by pasteurisation and cooling, and still sell at the same price if the quantity dealt with is sufficiently large ; the saving is made almost entirely in the cost of delivery. B—H. 81.