Annual report on the health and medical services of the state of Queensland.

  • Queensland. Department of Health.
Date:
[1948]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the health and medical services of the state of Queensland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    39/108 (page 37)
    Fish Supply.—The condition of Brisbane’s fish supply and of fish sold in retail shops was supervised by the two inspectors stationed at the fish markets. Some 61 tons of different species of fish were condemned by these officers, and its destruction witnessed, on the score of being unfit for human consumption. In addi¬ tion, 948 crabs, 11 lobsters, 1,825 lb. of prawns, 6 lb. squid, and 1^ lb. and 4 bottles of oysters were condemned for the same reason. Fish Condemned and Destroyed at the Fish Board Markets, South Brisbane. Class of Fish. Weight. T. C. Q. L. Barramundi 0 110 Bass 0 0 0 15 Black King 0 0 3 19 Bonito 0 0 10 Bream 2 17 2 6 Catfish 0 0 3 14 Chinaman . . 0 0 1 27 Cod . 0 1 0 25 Coral Bream 0 0 0 10 Flathead 0 4 0 26 Gar . . 0 6 0 15 Herrings 0 0 1 18 Jew 0 13 9 John Dory 0 15 1 14 Leather Jacket 0 3 3 20 Long Tom . . 0 0 3 20 Mackerel 0 18 2 6 Mauri Cod . . 0 0 0 3 Mixed Fish. . 1 13 2 15 Morwong . . 0 0 0 15 Mullet 48 16 1 8 Parrot 0 0 2 0 Perch 0 0 1 21 Pike 0 0 0 11 Pilchards . . 0 0 0 24 Ray 0 6 2 0 Red Emperor 0 3 0 12 Red Jew 0 0 14 Salmon 0 0 12 Sawfish 0 1 3 13 Schnapper . . 0 18 3 23 Shark 0 7 1 27 Squire 0 10 4 Sweetlip 10 3 8 Tailer 1 14 1 0 Trevalli 0 0 2 19 Trout 0 2 3 4 Trumpeter 0 0 0 10 Turrum 0 0 2 8 Whiting 0 8 0 17 Yellow Tail 0 2 0 7 61 14 1 23 Inspections Generally. Foods and drugs offered for sale have been under constant supervision by the headquarters staff, which work has entailed inspections at warehouse, factories, auction marts, wharves, &e. Shipments of foodstuffs from overseas were inspected in bond on the wharf before the food was permitted to be distributed. A consign¬ ment of walnuts from India was found to be heavily insect-infested, and the sale was pro¬ hibited by our officer who subsequently wit¬ nessed their destruction by fire. Attention was focused on the storing of foods in the holds of shipping, where it was found, in some instances, that greater care was required to ensure that food cargoes were not contamin¬ ated by stowing in close proximity to poisonous or potentially dangerous goods. Representations were made to shipping companies, and they agreed to exercise greater care in such matters. The existence of vermin infestation on wharves where food is handled was also investi¬ gated, and in one instance a very heavy cock¬ roach infestation was evident. On representa¬ tions being made to the shipping company con¬ cerned, immediate steps were taken to have the matter satisfactorily dealt with. The conditions under which damaged con¬ signments of foods are handled and repacked on some of the wharves were not satisfactory, and further attention to this angle in food con¬ tamination must be undertaken in the near future. Spirituous Liquors.—The testing of alcoholic liquors on licensed premises has been contin¬ ued, and at the end of the period under review, two prosecutions were pending against a hotel- keeper for the offences of selling adulterated whisky and misdescribed rum. Owing to the shortage of supplies of bottled beer from the breweries, licensed victuallers have been bottling considerable quantities of draught beer to satisfy this trade. The condi¬ tions of bottling were found in the main to be unhygienic, and in certain instances the bottling technique included the unsanitary practice of establishing syphonic action in the rubber tube used in the filling of the beer from cask to bottle by the suction of the operator after insert¬ ing the tube in his mouth. In the light of these discoveries, arrange¬ ments were made for a special circular to be issued by the Licensing Commission in which the requirements in the case of bottlers’ licenses were prescribed, and, as a result, many hotel- keepers have now installed satisfactory bottling appliances. Soft Drinks.—Special attention has been given to the labelling and composition of aerated waters and cordials for the express purpose of detecting whether the legal stand¬ ards, which were designed to a large extent to promote the consumption of fruit juices, were given effect to by the manufacturer. Suitable action was taken to correct labelling found to be faulty. A Brisbane company was convicted and fined £10 with £1 7s. costs for having sold “Lime” essence which was falsely described. Brisbane Show.—At the Brisbane Exhibition the conditions under which food for sale is prepared and served are given constant super¬ vision by officers of this division. The tempor¬ ary nature of such ventures, particularly in vicinity of sideshows, accounts for attempts to prepare food under conditions which trans¬ gress all the principles upon which the Food and Drug Regulations have been designed. At the last Show it was found that, although an improvement on conditions found in previous