HEALTH OF THE CITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14923, 22 February 1912, Page 8

HEALTH OF THE CITY.

PROPOSED NEW BY-LAWS.

FOR CONFIRMATION TO-NIGHT.

The new city by-laws, designed to ensure greater cleanliness in the handling and preparation of food, passed at the meeting of the City Council on January 25 last, will come up for confirmation at tonight's meeting of the Council. The bylaws give the Council powers not now held, in respect of hotels and restaurants of all kinds, the preparation and sale of perishable foodstuffs, and also contain stringent regulations against rats and mice, and disease-carrying insects. As regards hotels, restaurants, and eating houses, the by-laws, if confirmed, will prohibit the preparation of food in basement premises, of which the floor is more than 3ft below the level of the adjaoent street or ground. Cleanliness in every department will be rigidly enforced. There is a special provision relating to the sale of liquid food or refreshment, demanding an efficient cleansing after each use of every drinking vessel in which the liquid is served. It is also provided that ice cream or ices shall not bo manufactured, stored, or deposited for sale in any open shed or unenclosed space within tho city. Cleanliness in every particular is demanded in connection with the preparation cf ice cream. A deputation of master butchers has been in consultation with the Council, and possibly a few modifications of the by-laws, as applied to butchers' shops, may bo agreed to. Generally speaking, however, these provide for the protection of food from vermin, flies, and dust. They prohibit the preparation of meat for sale, in any place, unless 'it has a floor impervious to water, graded and drained, and floors must. bo kept free from accumulations of fat, grease, dirt, or other debris, maintained reasonably clean at all times, and thoroughly cleansed at least once a day.

All premises used for these purposes must be licensed and licenses will be issued only for buildings fulfilling the structural requirements specified in the by-law. The external openings of these premises must bo completely covered with wire gauze to prevent, as far as practicable, the access of flies or dust, and every external door must bo kept closed except when in use for ingress or for 'egress. The vermin clauses in the by-laws require owners of buildings in the city to mako structural alterations to prevent, as far as possible, the entrance and the harbourage of rats. In the case of buildings used for the preparation or • storage of tood, the Council may prohibit the use of buildings until the owners have complied with the requirements of the by-laws. No occupier of premises or land, or owner of unoccupied land, shall permit any refuse or other matter to remain so as to afford 6helter or harbourage for rats, or so as to encourage them to be upon the place. Material likely to be food for rats must be protected from them and no occupier or owner shall neglect to destroy rats, of which there is evidence, upon his premises, or ; to remova nests, burrows, and other haunts of-rats. '- *. ' ' The proprietor of a marine store or other premises containing second-hand' or other material likely to -harbour ,;• rats,, shall, within a month of ; notice, place all such materials upon open platforms or trestles. at least a foot from the floor, and keep the space .below , the treaties free from obstruction.