The Globe. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1876.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 707, 25 September 1876, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1876.

We are glad to find that at last the authorities are awakened to the necessity of enforcing in a practical manner the provisions of "The Adulteration of Food Act." It is true that the crusade they have instituted against the grocers has revealed the fact that the adulterations are mainly of an innocent nature, and that the adulteration takes place elsewhere. But whilst we applaud their newly awakened zeal in this direction we cannot but remark upon the erratic and somewhatpeculiar method in which the Act is administered. So far as we can see, when the police have literally nothing else to do, they make a raid upon pardonable offenders against the Act, entirely ignoring the vendors of articles which are highly deleterious to the public health. Except when from commendable zeal or a lack of other business, the members of the police force make the tour of the stores, we hear nothing of the matter. To make the Act of real use to the public there should be someone whose duty should be to watch carefully against a wilful infraction of it. Besides this, we contend that there is a still wider field for the detection and punishment of adulteration than in the grocery stores of the city. There is a species of adulteration largely practised in this province, which is productive of the direst results. Our gaols and our lunatic asylums owe a large percentage of their inmates to this cause. Adulterations such as those exposed the other day, are comparatively harmless and venial when contrasted with this. But yet, with the fact before us, that; year after year criminals and lunatics are caused by adulterated liquor; what is done to prevent it? Nothing, absolutely nothing. We have had an abortive prosecution, in which it was attempted to be proved that water was the only adulteration; but beyond this, no steps have been taken. Now it is matter of common repute that there are many houses in this province in which no one who has the least regard for his health will take a glass of liquor. Men there do not get intoxicated. They simply become mad. The existence of these fruitful sources of disease and crime should be known to the police, equally with the public. The poisonous nature of the liquids vended in them is notorious, yet we do not hear of any prosecutions. It seems strange that it should be so. The Act is stringent enough, and we have a competent analyst, why then should these veritable plague-spots be allowed to remain in our midst ? The remedy is plain. Let an officer or officers be appointed specially to carry out the provisions of the Act. Even if this entails a cost of £3OO or £4OO a-year it will be money well spent. We should at least have a system of check upon those who carry out adulteration in its most baneful form. We would direct the serious attention of those in authority to this matter. It is one of the utmost importance to the moral and physical health of the community. Every exertion should be made to sweep away these places, where, under the name ot liquor, the vilest and most delirious "comp Quad" is Tended, If

this be done, and thorougly, we feel certain that the number of the inmates of our gaols and lunatic asylums will show a marked decrease. In making the remarks we have felt it our duty to do, we must not be understood to include all the licensed houses in the province. Fortunately there are a number which do not come under this category. But we cannot close our eyes to the fact that there do exist several which deserve even stronger terms of reprobation than we have used. Under these circumstances we trust the Act will not be allowed to remain a dead letter, but that a vigorous crusade will at once be commenced against the vendors of adulterated liquors.