M 160
Of the 118 samples examined under the Ordinance( 3 milks and 1 tea were found not to be genuine, the milk being diluted with water and the tea containing exhausted leaves.
Substance No. of samples examined No. found genuine No. found adulterated Arrowroot 8 8 0 Bread 27 27 0 Butter 13 13 0 Honey 1 1 0 Lard 5 5 0 Milk - fresh 56 53 3 Sugar 2 2 0 Tea 6 5 1 Total 118 114 4The number of samples examined in 1932 was less than usual owing to the reduced staff during the summer months, but there is no doubt that the number of samples normally submitted for examination is very much too low considering the population of the Colony.
Taking reports, available here, of Public Analysts for the year 1931 the average annual number of samples per 100,000 of population is 458; this average is taken from the reports of Analysts of 6 English towns, 2 English counties, 1 London borough, 2 Crown Colonies and 2 Australian States. This number 458 would appear to be a fair estimate of the number necessary per 100,000 population to safeguard the purity of the public food and would indicate that the number submitted here per year should be in the neighbourhood of 3,000. This assuming the population of Hong Kong is 676,000, is leaving out the boat and New Territories population. In one of the Crown Colonies for which figures are available, the population of which is about 413,000 the number of milks alone examined in 1929 was 935 and of butters 88.