61 CHEMICAL DISCOVERY AND INVENTION 



For the purpose of checking the brewers' declarations as to 

 the gravity of their worts, a large number of samples in various 

 stages of fermentation are sent to the Government Laboratory 

 or its branches in order that the original gravity may be deter- 

 mined. 



With a view to the suppression of the practice of diluting 

 beer, which is prohibited by Statute, numerous samples of 

 finished beer taken from the premises of publicans and other 

 licensed retailers are examined at the laboratory. 



During the year 1911-12 7464 samples were taken from the 

 premises of 2081 publicans and other retailers. Of these, 452 

 or 6-1 per cent were found to have been diluted, this being 1 per 

 cent less than last year. In addition, 683 samples of beer as it 

 left the breweries were taken for comparison with the publicans' 

 samples, 114 samples were examined for the presence of sac- 

 charine, and six for the suspected addition of sugar and other 

 substances. In no case was any illegal ingredient discovered. 



The percentage of spirit was determined in 444 samples of 

 herb beers and other imitation beers, beer substitutes, and 

 temperance beverages. In 300 of these the percentage did not 

 exceed the legal limit of 2 per cent of proof spirit, 107 contained 

 less than 3 per cent, 30 between 3 per cent and 5 per cent, and 

 6 between 5 per cent and 8 per cent, while 1 sample contained 

 10-6 per cent of proof spirit. 



Samples of beer and of brewing materials are regularly 

 examined at the laboratory for the presence of arsenic. The total 

 number of samples tested in the course of the year, including 

 beer, wort, malt, sugar, and other materials used in brewing, 

 was 1046. It is satisfactory to have to record that only eighteen 

 of these were found to contain arsenic in excess of the limits laid 

 down by the Royal Commission on Arsenical Poisoning, namely, 

 the equivalent of one-hundredth of a grain of arsenious oxide 

 per pound in the case of solids, or per gallon in the case of liquids. 



Of 122 samples of malt examined five exceeded the limit, the 

 highest proportion found being one-fortieth of a grain per pound. 

 Eight samples of worts and beers out of 547 examined contained 

 arsenic in excess of the limit, the highest proportion being one- 

 twentieth of a grain per gallon, while of 377 samples of other 

 materials five samples exceeded the limit, the highest being one- 

 fiftieth of a grain per pound. 



In all cases in which the proportion of arsenic was above the 



