* 
20 4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 
any wonder then, that our natural instincts cause us to rebel 
against the time-honoured bottle ? we feel, that, in addition to 
all the ills that flesh is heir to, we are imbibing the seeds of con- 
stitutional destruction in the countless microbes contained in 
dirty water, or at least that we are certain to grow up so debili- 
tated as to be unable to resist the insidious attacks of ordinary 
diseases. Those who have taken the trouble to read my annual 
reports know that this is no fancifully drawn picture. 
The average number of adulterated samples is about 40%, anil 
the average amount of water added is about 25%. The amount 
of fines recovered from milk sellers in 1896 was £128. 
I have before drawn attention to the serious question of our 
milk supply being entirely in the hands of the poorest and least 
educated of our population. The temptation to adulterate is 
consequently very great. We have no general dairy in Port-of- 
Spain under the management of persons whose names would be a 
guarantee of quality; and until this happens, I do not think that 
our milk supply can be in a satisfactory condition. It is true 
that by a vigorous working of the law, we are gradually diminish- 
ing the extent and amount of milk adulteration ; but even whea 
we succeed, there is still the important question of clean cows, 
and clean dairy utensils. I hope the suggestion of the establish- 
ment of a large dairy in Port-of-Spain will be seriously considered 
and discussed at this meeting. 
Butter is a large item in our imports, 650,000 lb. valued at 
£2 1,500. A few years ago, Oleomargarine was openly sold here 
as butter, and at the price of butter. Now this form of adulter- 
ation is almost unknown, although we still import ltt> of 
Oleomargarine for every 41b. of butter. At the present time,' the 
w e tlr d for baC H ° Ur bufcter * ,J PP ] y is the reduced proportion of 
butter fat, and the correspondingly high proportion of water and 
and" wfter mav hf ? ma ? ufactured article, the proportion of salt 
The latter is t iA J i al * e ^ 1110 teased at the expense of the fat. 
found necessary ‘ tTlLTthl amount^f ‘"h th T efore itbas bee “ 
be added Tn R^ i u oVw “? unt of salt and water that may 
average amount hf and 8 ° % ° at is the “mit allowed; but the 
account ^ « 
r % 7 o? th ' <£*«" »' 
imported here we,e P found'”? 0 o°E« 67 T e ° ( bu ““ 
few contained less than go r - ) b ' P er cer| t. of butter, a 
per cent, of » tb.t H-U 
sent the proportions present in butters r Water ’ rep ,' 
quality but the proportion of salt v, f / air commerc ’ aI 
salt migh advantageously be 
I 
