Progress report of the Medical Officer of Health to 30th September, 1925 / Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain.

  • Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago). Public Health Department
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Progress report of the Medical Officer of Health to 30th September, 1925 / Urban Sanitary District of the City of Port-of-Spain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    59. Unsound Food.—Under Part IXa of the Public Health (Amendment) Ordinance.. 1919, 1,237 tins of milk, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables ; 8 boxes of cheese ; 21 barrels of onions and potatoes ; 40 boxes of herrings and 1,215 loose plantains were seized and ordered to be destroyed. Prosecutions were instituted in 64 cases for the sale of unsound food or the exposure of food for sale without protection from contamination, and fines to the amount of £61 5s. Od. recovered. 60. If the Local Authority is successful in making satisfactory arrangements with the Government for utilizing the services of the Analyst and the Bacteriologist for the examination of certain classes of adulterated and unsound foods, as has been proposed, the Local Authority will be better able to control the spread of enteric fever and other diseases from those sources than is now possible. 61. Sale of Iced Fish.—Following a report by the writer on the sale of iced fish at the Fish Market, several interesting letters were received from Baron Bliss, a visitor to the Colony on the yacht Sea King, recommending certain improvements in the capture and marketing of fish for the local trade. 62. This correspondence was considered by the Local Authority and transmitted to the Government, by whom the fisheries are controlled, with a suggestion that the whole question of the fishing industry, including the protection of spawning grounds and the pollution of the Gulf of Paria with fuel waste from oil-burning vessels, might with advantage be referred to a Committee for investigation and report. 63. It transpired, however, that the Government had already, at some previous time, appointed a Committee to consider certain aspects of the fishing- trade. Of the two main points raised in Baron Bliss’s letters (1) the protection of spawning grounds was referred to this Committee by His Excellency the Governor, and (2) the pollution of the Gulf with waste fuel oil was reserved to be separately dealt with by legislation which, it is understood, is now in progress. -%• 64. In the meantime the ventilation of the question of the unsatisfactory supply of fresh fish to the City, and the public interest taken in the matter, have already resulted in a considerable improvement in the quality of the fish exposed for sale at the markets. 65. Prosecutions.—259 informations were laid before the City Magistrate for breaches of the Public Health Ordinance and the bye-laws made thereunder. Convictions were obtained in 254 cases, and fines amounting to £119 11s. Od. imposed. 66. Conclusion.—I am glad to acknowledge and bring to the notice of the Local Authority the zeal and efficiency with which the work of every member of the office and sanitary staff has been discharged. I have the honour to be, Your obedient Servant, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, Public Health Department, Town Hall, 21st October, 1925. GEORGE H. MASSON, Medical Officer of Health,
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