ADULTERATION!

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 5, 6 July 1906, Page 5

ADULTERATION!

IS THERE ANY CHECK! ENQUIRIES ON THE FOOD QUESTION. THE TRIPLE SYSTEM OF MILK INSPECTION. Early in June last we received the following communication signed "Pure ] Food." :— | "By the onclosed cutting you will see that tho Agricultural Department pays more attention to tho health of a turnip than the Health Department does to the health of the people. "The former department sees that : tho crops get unadulterated manure, and that, it it 13 not sold under a false namo, but the Health Department allows any kind of adulterated food to be gold to the public without taking any action to prevent it. "We beg to call your attention to ap article on tho condemned meat in- . dustry by Mr. Sinclair, on page 608 of the- May number of Everybody's Magazine. The potted meats referred to in this, and the recent cables from America ra the exposures of tho Meat Trust have been largely sold in New Zealand. "In the Post of 6th September there was over a column on adulterated food. Wo thought that the people and Health Department would take some notice of it, but they did not. We think the question of pure food is 'one that the Post might take up and work for all it is worth next session. "The Premier talks about keeping the cradles full and increasing the population, but what is the use if the so-called Health Department allows them to be poisoned or have their health injured by inferior and adulterated food?" [Enclosure.] AUCKLAND, 21st May. At the Supreme Court, John Schischda, a merchant, pleaded guilty to unlawfully selling manure to which a false tyade mark was applied, and applying a false trade description to. certain goods. His Honour inflitced a fine of £500, or in default twelve months' imprisonment. Hia Honour commented very strongly on the case, and said it was a contemptible fraud to ba committed by a person in the high position, in the commercial world occupied by the accused. For various reasons we have been unable to pursue the enquiries suggested by our correspondent until quite lyTHE GOVERNMENT ANALYST'S EXPERIENCE. "There are two principal sources from which I get samples for analysis — the Health Department and the police — and sometimes private persons send samples," said Dr. Maolaurin, Government Analyst, who was called on in tho course of in- ' vestigation. Were investigations spasmodic or regular? The aualyst replied that most of his time was occupied with the' work of tho Mines Department, but he occasionally had work \o do on behalf of the general public, for the other ' two departments named. In fact, there were in his laboratory at that moment a dozen samples of whisky collected from Wellington hotels by the police for analysis. The samples sent to Tiim were many and various, and required different treatment. Jams, tor instance, of which he had made many analyses a few years ago, had to bo tested microscopically, to discover whether other fruits than those named on the labels were in the samples, submitted, arid consequently cell-struc-ture- and seeds had to be inveotigated. Pepper, which might bo adulterated with starch, had to be examined with the microscope also; but the testing of milk would be a purely chemical process, so as to get the percentages of fats, solids^ casine, and even milk-sugar. There were analysts for the purpose of keeping a cherk upon food adnlteration also at Dunedin (Professor Black), at Christchui'ch (Mr. Bickerfcon), and at Auckland (Mr. Pond). Dr. Maelaurin's experience as an analyst was that, generally speaking, the samples of all kinds of foods and iiquors brought before him were fairly good. Occasionally only did bad cases of adulteration como under his notice. A few years ago there was t, pood deal of adulteration in. Wellington's milk supply, but it had greatly improved of late, although, in the matter of carrying on investigations thers seemed to be much overlapping by the Stock Department, the Health Department, and the corporation of Wellington. The most recent samples had amongst them one or two instances of watrr adulteration. Occasionally samples of bread 'came in to be tested for the presence of alum. The bread was good, and so far ho had not come, across any alum adulteration, Wellington's beer, so fnr as the samples tested were concerned, was wholesome, and the brandy and whisky paceed the standard test. The many samples of jams testnd threo or four years ago contained sone serious cases of adulteration with ffuits other than those alleged to be in the tins. These jams were not mado in Wellington. A number were Australian, and some were of New Zealand manufacture. Tho samples tested came through the Health Department, and tho principal feature of the jams was the substitution of a cheap fruit in place of the scarcer article. A sample of cocoa analysed was found not to be up to the mark; and some essence of coffee ivas very poor, containing very little coffee. One sample was composed mainly of molasses and caramel. The analyst's experience was that thepolice were alert in the public interest, acting promptly in getting samples when ever complaints were made. Summing up his remarks regarding investigations, Dr. Maclaurin said : "So far as I have examined them, there is no serious or large amount of adulteration of foods and liquors in New Zealand V_ A POLICE VIEW. Inspector 'Ellison said, on behalf bf tho police, that no hint or suggestion of a suspicion was neglected when a matter of tho food of the people was brought under notics. "If any on© told me that' th«y had a suspicion of smy canned or other foods or of liquors, I would take it up." Under the Adulteration Prevention Act of 1880 an officer was provided fpr this kind of work, section 30 of the Act reading .■ s follows : — "Every inspector of nuisances or inspector of weights and measures shall, on being required thereto by any person having reasonable causo to suspect any article of food or any drug to bo adulterated, procure and submit samples of such articles respectively to bo anaI lysed under this Act." Tho inspector added that the police frequently s«zed samples of liquors in the hotels. These had been found to contain plenty of water, but not much that was deleteri' ous. There was too much cheap liquor available for men in the trade to troublo about "faking." OTHER OPINIONS. Mr. B. C. Aston, chemist of tho Agricultural Department, was also waited upon. Ho explained that during the past three years tho stock inspectors in all parts of the colony hud been sending him samples of milk "to be tested. The principal montlis during which these samples were collected wero June, July, and August, the winter months, when the volume of milk yielded by cows was

not so great as during the other portions of the year, and dealers wore therefore tempted to rob the milk of it* cream and make up the volume by the? addition of water. Euro milk, according to the Dairy Industry Act, was that which contained a certain quantity of solids and non-fatty solids, Tho samples which came to 'Mr. Aston's laboratory were taken only from the sources of supply, and not from retailers' premises. Very few cases of adulteration had been found at any time in tho dairies which supplied Wellington. The retailers in Wellington weio understood to bo supervised by the Health Department and the civic authorities. Generally speaking, Mr, Aston had not found that preservatives were much used in New Zealand milk. Other investigations made by the pressman brought^ out conspicuously tho fact that the divided authority of Stock Department, Health Department, and City Coupcil in the matter of tho inspection of the milk supply had resulted in at least two of the three bodies scarcely knowing where- they were on tho subject, "Three are supposed to do the inspection,'' said one authority, "and the result is that it is not done effectively. The 'Health Department hasn't the staff to do the work justice and the City Council hasn't tho authority — so where 'arc you?" Another t-xpert said that if Parliament would only pass the Food and Drums Bill, something could be done effectively in dealing with the. general question of investigation. This Bill, which had been before Parliament for two years, sought to brins; the law in New Zealand into conformity with" that of Great Britain. t v It appears that the Health Department acts very much like- tho polioo. Bring a. case of suspicion under tho department's notice, and something in tho way of investigation will bs done. Tho inspectors have seised unfit foods, and had them destroyed. Such complaints regarding canned goods as have been brought under tho department's notice have been promptly attended to, but there is no regular system of inspection. A short time ago a hint was given regarding some canned and bottled foods, and the result was that they were destroyed as unsafe for human consumption, Nevertheless, even though, the department's method falls short of doing justice to public needs, the number of samples analysed at its instance haviv been numerous. There is frequent ana* lysis of Wellington's water, and it ban bsen found so satisfactory 'that it forma the standard for tha testing of water supplies throughout the colony.