HOW THE PEOPLE ARE FED

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 1, 5 July 1911, Page 5

HOW THE PEOPLE ARE FED

A “Jungle ” Story from Auckland. —Far-Reaching Reforms Needed. —Danger to Public Health.

The Mayor of Auckland (Mr. C. J. Parr) has had prepared by the Chief ’Sanitary Inspector (Mr. Charles T. Haynes) a report dealing with the public food supply of Auckland City. The report is as follows: — In accordance with your verbal instructions and those of the Council, I beg to ‘ report on the ‘‘Public Food Supplies. ’ There is urgent need for a far-reach-ing reform in the methods whereby the public are fed. It is obvious that a pure food supply is of vital importance to the health of the people, but a very cursory investigation of conditions under which food-stuffs are manufactured, prepared, stored, exhibited for sale, and conveyed reveals a very unsatisfactory state of affairs, in some, cases disgusting, and fraught with danger to the persons employed as well as to consumers. This applies to many businesses, hotels, board-ing-houses, restaurants, tea-rooms, confectioners, butchers, grocers, bakers, fishmongers, and others, the largest and most pretentious places included. Clean and suitable premises and conditions being the exception rather than the rule, some offenders claiming that it is impossible to carry on their particular business in a satisfactory manner from a sanitary point of view, although they recognise the advisability of clean conditions where exposed to public view. The control of food from a public health standpoint is yearly becoming more difficult, owing to the number of hands through which it is passed, and the sources of supply being more remote. Much of it comes from places where there is little or no sanitary control, or is handled by unclean or unscrupulous persons. Fortunately good and thorough cooking covers many risks, but there *is no reason why -conditions should exist such as follows:—-

(1) Unsuitable premises without light and ventilation; in basements, either liable to be flooded with sewage occasionally, or provided with street gratings, admitting dust and filth; located near stables or privies; building in bad state of repair, or damp. (2) Dirty premises; general dirtiness of walls, staircases, benches and cupboards and shelves; infested with vermin. (3) Dirty utensils and appliances such as carts, baskets, boilers, ovens, preserving tubs and vats, brine pumps, sausage and other machines, baking dishes, kitchen utensils, cups and glasses. (4) Food handled by unclean persons or kept in places, where it is liable to contamination by offensive matters or animals. Exposed in shops and on counters, to dust, filth, germ-laden flies and rats. APATHY OF THE PUBLIC. As these matters are more fully detailed in an appendix, nothing further is required to show the urgent necessity that exists for improvement on present conditions, which have arisen owing to the apathy of the public, carelessness and indifference of those handling food, and insufficient supervision by sanitary authorities. For a number of years past sanitary control has been gradually taken away from municipal bodies an I administered by Government Departments, until it is now difficult to know who is actually responsible. In the question under consideration four authorities at least are concerned, viz.. Labour Department, Police. Department of Public Health, and the City Council, the officers of each authority wording under different regulations, with no uniformity of action or requirements, thus confusing the publie and often nullifying each other’s attempts at improvements. Under the Factories Act (Sections 44 and 45) the sanitation of factories and bakehouses is expressly provided for, An 1 by Section 48 these provisions are extended to “every factory wherein is carried on the manufacture, preparation or treatment of eny article of food for sale for human consumption.” The Factory Inspector has very wide

powers to enforce cleanliness and sanitary requirements in practically all places where food is prepared for sale. In the Licensing Act, Section 161, the sanitation of hotels is placed under the control of the police, yet in many cases it has been necessary to take steps to remedy very insanitary conditions, and there still remains much to be done. The Sale of Food and Drugs Act (administered by the Department of Public Health) provides that the Governor may make regulations “securing the cleanliness’ and freedom from contamination of any food or drug in the course of its manufacture, preparation, storage, packing, carriage, delivery, or exposure for sale, and securing the cleanliness of places, receptacles, appliances, and vehicles used,** but with the exception of controlling the sale of milk nothing has been done. T understand that regulations dealing with food supply are under consideration by the District Health Officer. In this connection I may point out that I hold an appointment as Inspector under the “Sale of Food and Drugs Act,” but was instructed by Council to restrict my attention to milk supply only. INSUFFICIENT POWER. The only power that the Council’s Inspector has in dealing with the conditions under review is to prosecute under section 284 of the Municipal Corporations Act, when "any land, building, erection, which is in such a state as to be or become a nuisance or injurious to health.” This is insufficient to deal with the matter effectually, as the premises have to be ip an insanitary condition before action can be taken, and proceedings may not always be successful.

From the foregoing it is clear that several authorities are responsible; there is little or no co-operation bet wen them, the public are unnecessarily harassed by the overlapping and divided control, and the result is unsatisfactory. A WAY OUT. As the Auckland City Council is the most interested of the authorities, and now lias a staff sufficient to supervise the food supply, 1 would respectfully recommend: — (1) That bylaws or regulations be framed enforcing suitable and clean premises and appliances, providing for the protection of food from dust and vermin, and requiring all garbage to be kept in closed receptacles, also rat-proofing of buildings where necessary. (2) That the Licensing Board be invited to obtain a sanitary report on the condition of all hotels, or that the police be accompanied by a sanitary inspector to asist them when making their regular inspections. (2) That the District Health Officer and Factory Inspector be asked to discuss the advisability of uniform administration in sanitary matters, or that the Council’s officials deal with the whole question. (4) That the limitation placed on my work under the S’le of Food and Drugs Act be removed, so that 1 can act without first obtaining the District Health Officer's services, and will be able to enforce any regulations made under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act. SHOCKING DETAILS. Mr. Haynes, in an appendix, gives details of conditions found on premises where food is prepared for human consumption .» ' follows: — City Pork Butcher. — Floor, walls, benches, etc., covered with grease, tilth in some cases nearly half an inch thick; machines ami ‘tools apparently never cleaned; bread for small goods soaked in dirty sink: dressed poultry kept over filthy drain; putrid meat near aaaisage machine, and probably used in same; corned beef in open barrel near fowl pen in filthy condition. Hot 1, Queen-street. Kitchen receiving light nnd ventilation from street gratings down which passers-by spit, and

through which dust and filth is >prc ’ over the fool. The place was di.;. . cupboards infested with wnnh. ■ 1 having no appearance of li’\in ’ cleaned for a long time. I <.l ' i open, the place was infv tel v.. '. i traces of which could I • s u • •» everywhere; stinking meat \ tables were standing side by -i \\ • that recently cooked. 'This kitche i been Hooded several times with sewa yRestaurant, off Queen-street. "• of kitchen covered with dust floor tilth . • had ‘to be scraped to clean it . iu centre pile of bones smelling most • I fensively; around walls deciyel vejv tables. Benches and tables had to I removed to clear dirt away. Fish offil and garbage on table within a few inch •.> of food ready to be sent into dining room; near range heap of ashes mid scraps of food; premises overrun wi'li rats, evidences of which were found i:: the food by an anonymous co?npl»inau! Fruit Shop, Queen-street. — Bunches of bananas stored in and also heaped up around the pigswill tins, the place hav ing little light, ventilated into adjoining shop, and insufficient for amount of bu-.i ness carried on. Defective sink leaking on floor where fruit was stored. Bananas ripened in room roughly partitioned off from a bedroom occupied by Chinese. Rotten and decayed fruit has been allowed to remain on this floor. Draimvg? under ground floor defective, and floors wet ami covered underneath with fungoid growth. Hotel, off Queen-street.— Kitchen in basement dirty, light and ventilation through street gratings; open garbage tins near food; lift for raising meals to diningroom used for removing garbage, which was apparently upset on some occa sions, as the lift was dirty, and under neath were found decomposing bones, animal and vegetable matter. Partitioned off from the kitchen by a wooden screen is an insanitary urinal for public use. This building was infested with rats. DEAD RATS AMONGST FOOD. Diningroom, Queen-street. — Basement used for storing vegetables, meat, groceries, live poultry, coal, and lumber. When inspected on Sunday evening two men were found opening oysters in this basement, the place smelling most offensively owing to decayed vegetables ami rubbish stored therein; seven dead rats were seen on the floor and one in open box of currants. The place had been swarming with rats, but these were dying in all directions, and no trouble taken to remove them. All food was open and accessible to vermin. The kitchen and pantry ami sanitary appliances were in a filthy condition, being coated with grease and dirt.

Bakehouse in Queen street.—The oven top was used to deposit rubbish, and contained large quantities of old boots, rags, bags, tins, bottles, decayed potatoes, egg shells, and dust, Cupboards where meat was cooled after cooking lined with cob webs, dust, and dirt, alive with vermin, and plenty of evidence of rats. On the floor above there existed a defective w.c., which leaked through ii to bakehouse. Floors rotten and broke and rat infested. WORSE THAN CHICAGO. The report of Mr. Hay ms, the CiU Council’s chief sanitary inspector, on the question of food supplies ami conditions discovered to be existing at certain shops in the city, came before Hie City Council, on Thursday, ami was the sub ject of considerable discussion. The Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr), after reading the report to the Council, sa. l that he had taken upon himself to make this report public, while suppressing names. Such a condition of things was hardly believable, and must be dealt with. Mr. Haynes pointed out th.it there were no less than tour authorities having power in the matter, although so confused had the position become, that it did not seem clear which of the four was really the responsible one. There could he no qmslini about it, •how*ver; such a di i state of affairs could not be al: ».> a to continue any longer than possible. It was of primary importance that purely cooked food should be obtained by citizens from the shops in which cooked food was vended. It was evident that the law of the country was so indefinite and un satisfactory on the question of deal ng with food supplies, that there were no bss than four overlapping authorities, but which had power to deal with the subject it was difficult to say. Some thing must be done to remedy the conditions referred to pending more definite legislation, and it seemed to him that it was for the Council to take action if what was stated in the report were true,

a,Txl hr was satisfied that it was true. It was a shorking thing to think that this sort <>f thing could happen, while their inspector was powerless to put out his linger to stop it. they must see that the food places of the city were above suspicion on this subject of cleanliness and he moved, therefore, that the report l»e referred to the Works ( ommittee. Mr. G. Read expressed the opinion that if people were keeping places in such a state <>f filth their names should be published. ‘ Why, it is a damnable state of allair*; it is worse than Chicago!” exclaims d the Councillor heatedly, and suggested that a separate committee should be set up to investigate the whole matter. Mr. Shaw said In* thought the Council h id < leant <1 up the city, but evidently such was not .the sase. Those places were veritable plague spots, and if drastic means could br obtained to deal with the mater, let it be dealt with, no matter what the cost. He agreed with Mr. Read that a special sanitary committee should br set up to deal with the matter. Mr. J. Court thought that a. large share of responsibility for the state of affairs shown rested with the Council itself, because he understood that within the last two years the staff of inspectors had been reduced. He thought the Council should deal with this question of food supply, as it did some time ago with the milk. Cr. Knight was of opinion that there had been some neglect on the part of city officials to enable- matters to come to the slate disclosed in the report, lie did not agree with suppressing the names of the owners of the premises reported on, because it reflected on those who had clean houses. The Mayor pointed out that, unless there was a positive “nuisance,” apart from mere neglect, the Inspector could not deal with tli-e matter. Consequently, he had no legal authority to deal with the greater part of the cases mentioned. What was* before the Council was to get legal authority to act in such cases of carelessness, which could be remedied in twenty-four hours. Eventually the report was referred to the Works Committee, they to confer with the Health Officer, the Inspector of Factories, and the . I aspect or of Police, as to the best means of remedying the present conditions.

THE OTHER SIDE. Inquiries made on Friday by a “Star” reporter on the subject vf Inspector Haynes’ report go to show that there has not been quite the apathy on the part of the authorities that first reading of the report would impel in the mind of the reader. There is a difficulty which faced the inquiring person in the fact that the persons from whom first-hand in formation is available are in ( o \ ( riimeiit employ. ami are consequently not at liberty to mCet charges or statement- that do not come through ollirinl channels. This difficultv rather hampers the full and free ventilation of the subject, but from outside sources the reporter was able to glean some facts and opinions which are of interest. In the first place it appears that muon work has been doiic by the authorities which has not been made public, but has been taken a* routine business. For instance, the has gathered that less than five years ago the Health Dipart meat authority, in company \itii the Inspector of Factories, made an exhaustive inspection of the business places of the city carried on as butcheries, bakeries and dining-rooms, and icported thereon. As a result, proprietors were called on to make quite a number of renovations and iedistribution of -unitary conveniences, kitchen*. etc., while in several cases places of business were shut up altogether. Even in some of the pretentious shops objectionable features were discovered, and it was seen that these were rectified. So far as can be ascertained, considerably more than 10(1 eating houses, tea rooms and butchers’ •shops were visited and reported upon, and in almost every instance alterations demanded, some of these amounting to radical structural changes. Following this, there has been periodic inspection, and equally periodic demands for improvements. This is stated in support of the view that, the health inspector* and the factory inspector have not been allowing their wide powers to rust. In some outside quarters, in fact, the opinion is held that these powers have l>een list'd to the point of ofHriousncs.s. So far as the police are concerned, Inspc 1 ’ tor Cullen pointed out that the report* to the Licensing Bench haye always covered the sanitary conditions of licensed

houses. What the public was not aware or, he said, was that where conditions existed that did not constitute a positive nuisance, but which were ooje. t ionable tile Health Department was notified anil took the matter in hand. The police and the Public Health Department, acting in co-operation, thus did a great deal that was not heard of by the public. SOME MUNICIPAL BLAME. It was not contended that the conditions specified in particular places by Mr. Haynes were wrong or exaggerated, but it was implied that these conditions were being gradually and unostentatiously remedied by the authorities as at present constituted, and that the cleaning up would be more expeditiously done with more vigilance and co-operation on the part of the municipal authorities. It was also remarked that after the raid of five years ago a tendency to reversion was fostered by the City Council permitting businesses in food for human consumption to be opened in unsuitable and insanitary buildings. Thus it was argued that the municipal authorities had to bear a share of the burden of blame for the conditions now made nublie. As to the suggested change of consolidating the administrative powers in the hands of the municipal authority, opinion is divided. In one place it was pointed out that it would be unwise to allow the full power to be in the hands of local men. who would, directly or indirectly be interested persons. It was argued that the powers should remain local and interested pressure. Then again it was pointed out that cities like Auckland had a constellation of minor boroughs, and if the wide powers suggested were given to one inspector they must, of necessity, be extended to the inspectors of the lesser adjacent bodies Until these boroughs were amalgamated, and the sanitary department was consolidated. with autnoriry over the whole area, it would not be an improvement to extend the municipal sanitary powers.

The general opinion of "the other side appears to be that Mr. Haynes’ suggestions were written without a full knowledge of what work was being done by the’ other sanitary authoritgs, and also that there has not been the regular vigilance and co-operation on the part of the municipal sanitary authorities that was desirable. ANOTHER VIEW. On the other hand, the feeling of Auckland tradesmen appears to be in favour of the course suggested by Mr. Haynes. The president of the Master Butchers’ Association stated that, in his opinion, although the Health Department was doing good work, there was need for reform. His Association desired to see everything clean and up to-date, and the goods put out in first-class condition for the consumers. He considered that an improvement would be efleeted wdre the sanitation of public places under one authority instead of the control being divided, and he also thought that the municipal authority was besu situated to wield that control. The Artful " Dropper.” Housewives in Christchurch have frequent experiences ol the backdoor vendor of cheap goods, and many women have purchased spurious articles from glib merchants who. by artful talk, have accomplished a sale of worthless articles. With a limited field to work upon, and the necessity of seem ing trade in the midst of keen competition, the confidence merchant of this type —a “dropper'’ he is termed by the criminal class—has to resort to niany artifices, and to appeal- with novel ideas to induce people to part with their mouev. One salesman who has succeeded in victimising many housewives recently has dealt in a brand of “confidence tea” that has given to its purchasers little more than food for reflection. His nietlrods are simple and alluring. He appears at the door- with a. packet of tea less than a pound, and on the appearance of the housewife he presses this upon her. following it with a teapot which lie presents to her. He then speaks of handsome cruets to be given away with the tea packets, but he does not show the articles. His victim is then informed that the tea and teapot are presentations, but that if a coupon is found in the packet a fee of 2/fl must be paid. He reassures his victim by stating that only one packet in every 20 contains a coupon, and then lie asks her to investigate the packet and learn her fate. The search is made, and the coupon is discovered. In most cases the “lamb” pays the half-crown, and the "dropper” goes on his way rejoicing, and

it is only on rare occasions that he meets with defeat. Large numbers of people have been visited by the merchant, and after his departure the tea has always been found to be worthless, and the teapot to be of very little more worth. Ritualism. Eight hundred and sixty members of the Church of England in Canterbury have memorialised Bishop Julius against ritualistic practices alleged to be indulged in at St. Michael's, including the wearing of Mass vestments, the use of wafers, elevation and adoration of the elements, and prostrations. They state that 34 years ago a clergyman in this diocese was tried by the bishops for similar practices and relieved of his cure. Bishop Julius replied: “It will be my earnest endeavour to secure such general obedience to the law of the Church and the formularies of the Book of Common Prayer its may be possible under the altered time and circumstances. The rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer allow wide divergence in ritual, and I am not aware of any ritualistic practice in St. Michael’s Church contrary to reasonable and lawful interpretation of the same.”

He adds, while in no way prepared to demand undue deference on the part of the clergy to local custom, he deprecates instruction in ritual to which the people are not aceuston'red. Bishop Julius declines to discuss the subject of ritual at present, but will do so when the Diocesan Synod meets in September.