MILK AND FOOD SUPPLY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7870, 22 May 1891, Page 3

MILK AND FOOD SUPPLY.

CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES.

The adjourned meeting of the various local bodies to consider the question of dealing with diseased meat and unwholesome milk was held at the City Council Chambers last night. There were present—His Worship the Mayor (presiding), Cr. Gapes (City Council), Cr. Meares (St Albans Borough Council), the Mayor of Sydenham (Sydenham Borough Council), Messrs R. Westenra and T. York (Selwyn County Council), H. J. Hall (Riccarton Road Board), Hardie (Linwood Town Board), Hadecke (Spreydon Road Board). Apologies were received from Messrs White, Richardson, and McDiarmid.

The Mayor of said that the conference would remember that a Subcommittee had been appointed to go into the matter of legislation for dealing with the inspection of dairies, &c. They had wa\ted on the Hon. W.«P. Reeves, Minister for Justice, and asked that the Government would bring in a Bill amending tho present Act on the subject. Mr Reeves, whilst admitting the necessity of further legislation, thought it would be better to have the Bill introduced by a private member. The Government then if they were satisfied as to the measure might support it. He would now call on the Mayor of Sydenham to bring up the report of the Sub-Committee. The Mayor of Sydenham brought up the report of the Committee as follows:—"Your Committee finds that the powers granted to Local Boards of Health under the provisions of the Public Health Act, 1876, and its amendments, to restrict the sale of milk, meat, and other perishable provisions, are insufficient to prevent the spread of diseases arising from unwholesomeness in such articles of food. That it is desirable that the food supply hi all large centres of population should be under the control of, and supervised by an authority having jurisdiction over the whole of the area from which perishable provisions are obtained for the supply of such localities, and that the same authorities should have the power to prevent the spread of infectious and contagious diseases. The Christchurch Drainage Board having abrogated its functions as the Local Board of Health for the Christchurch Drainage District, the local bodies to whom the Board's powers as such Board of Health were delegated, are unable separately to provide the efficient control required. The Selwyn County Council during the year 1888 proposed to appoint a medical officer and inspectors, to inspect dairies and meat sold in the Avon and Heathcote Ridings of the County, and the boroughs and town districts adjacent thereto, but the proposal was not carried out in consequence or opposition from some of the Road Boards. The Committee understands that the County Council is disposed to act as the Local Board of Health for the districts mentioned, under the provisions of Section No. 297 of the Counties Act, 1886,

subject to amendments being made thereto, limiting the Council's jurisdiction thereunder to the control of dairies, the sale of perishable provisions, and to such other subjects as the Local Boards of Health may have power and agree to place under its control The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government be requested to introduce legislation as follows :—To repeal the proviso to Section 14 of the Public Health Act, 1876, constituting the Christchurch Drainage Board a Local Board of Health; Section 4 of the Public Health Act, 1876, Amendment Act, 1877; and the Public Health Act, 1876, Amendment Act, 1880. To enable all Local Boards of Health to make by-laws — (a) To regulate the sale of meat, . fish, poultry, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, fruit, vegetables and all other kinds of perishable provisions, and to provide for the inspection thereof, and when found necessary by the Inspector to enable him to prohibit the same from being sold or exposed for sale within the Board's district, (b) To inspect within or without the district, dairies and dairy utensils, cows and cow-houses kept for the supply of milk within the district. (c) To prevent the blowing or spouting of meat, or selling or offering for sale meat after it has been blown or spouted, (d) To provide for the licensing of dairies and dairymen and vendors of perishable provisions, and for the registration of such licenses, and to fix'the sum payable to the Board for such licenses, (c) To take such other steps as may be necessary to prevent the spread of infectious diseases through unsound perishable provisions. The remainder of the recommendations may be briefly summarised as follows:—That local bodies might by resolution delegate their power as local Boards of Health to any County, City, or Borough Council. That when not less than three-nfths of the local bodies agreed to delegate their powere, all other local bodies having jurisdiction .within such area should cease to have any power as local Boards of Health. When such powers were delegated, by-laws could be made by the county or borough exercising the powers. That local bodies might combine for erecting public abattoirs and to appoint officers to supervise tne same, and to authorise such local bodies to raise loans for such a purpose, and to appoint a Committee to exercise such powers as might be delegated by the local bodies combining. That local bodies delegating their powers should be empowered to- pay out of their general funds such sums as might be required to defray the expenses of carrying dot these provisions, it being provided that the expenses so incurred should be charged to the several local bodies concerned in proportion to the rateable values of their districts ; allowance to be made to local bodies who employ one or more Inspectors of Nuisances for any services rendered. The Mayor then moved the reception and adoption of the report. Mr Westesra seconded the motion, but took exception to the clause providing that no articles of food should be sold until inspected by the Inspectors. He did not think this would be found to be workable art all

Mr York suggested that the words "market gardens" should be included in the inspection to be provided under the Act.

The motion for the adoption of the report was then put and agreed to. Mr Hall suggested that the Conference should not forward the report of the Committee as adopted to tbe Government to be drafted into the Bill until the public had had an opportunity of considering the proposals made. The Mayor or Chbistchtjbch said that there was nothing new in the report The Committee had merely consolidated the law now existing on the subject. The question was raised that the motion for the adoption of the report was not understood as being pnt, but that it merely referred to the alteration of a clause, and after some discussion of a desultory nature, The Mayor or Chbistchcrch said that he would take the opinion of the meeting as being that the resolution was void. Mr Hall then moved—" That the further, consideration of the report be adjourned foi one month." Mr Walters seconded the motion. Mr Mkarrs moved aa an amendment— "That the words * one month' be struck out, and the words ' one week' be inserted in lieu thereof.' Mr Yore seconded the amendment, which was carried. The further consideratioa of the report was then postponed until. 28th inst. at 7.30. * The meeting then adjourned.