174
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 sam- ples examined
No. found
genuine
No. found adulterated
161
The reason for the low figures in this Colony is due possibly to the state of the Regulations covering the sale of Food and Drugs. There is at present only one standard for foodstuffs laid down, i.e. that for fresh milk. Draft definitions or standards for the most important foodstuffs were submitted by the late Mr. E. R. Dovey in August 1927 and embodied in a new Food and Drug Bill printed in November 1930. Until this Bill becomes law, the present unsatisfactory state of affairs wi!! remain.
Arrowroot
50
8
20
0
Bread
27
27
0
Butter..
13
13
0
MINERALOGICAL ANALYSES.
A large increase in analyses under this head was shown during the year.
Honey..
1
0
Metals
1932 1931
Minerals,
1932 1931
Lard
5
5
0
Milk - fresh.................
56
53
3
'Tin Nickel
195
96
Sugar
Tea
21
N
Lead Alloys.
8-2-
1
Coal Coke
254 177
Sulphur
Graphite
0 0
Total...
118
114
Bismuthite...
Chromite
Manganese.. Galena
Zinc Ore Molybdenite Antimonite... Wolfram... Other ores..
I
2
(
3
1
48
00 sa
3
4
The 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 her. per year should be in the neighbourhood of 3,000. This is 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 418,000 the number of milks alone examined in 1929 was 935 and of butters 88.
Total
195
100
Total ....
425
196
Tin accounted for the whole of the metal analyses, the large increase in numbers being due, possibly, to a rise in price which occurred.
An increase in the number of wolfram ores occurred during the summer, but this was probably due to the illness of the other consulting analyst who does the majority of these estimations.
The large increase in coal estimations is due to the new method of dealing with tenders for the supply of coal to the Government. For the 1933 supply each tenderer had to submit a sample to the Laboratory of the coal for which he tendered. This resulted in 92 samples being submitted in the space of a
175
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