The owner of an unlicensed dairy, Zung Ah-yung, whose coolie was last week fined $25 for distributing milk in the Settlement without a licence, appeared before Messrs. Mead and Tsang, charged with sell-j ing milk without a licence and with fraud.
Mr. E. T. Maitland, Police legal adviser, for the prosecution, said that the case was both serious and important. The Health Department had been doing everything in their power to give the public a better milk supply by stopping the supply of bad milk, and they would achieve their object if they had the A coolie rested and fined last. week for distributing milk in Seward Road. The milk was in bottles bearing the seal or stamp purporting to be that of the China Trust Dairy. Accused was-formerly the owner of a licensed dairy in Chaoufoong Road but this place was -closed by the Health Commissioner last August owing to breaches of licence conditions. On December 23 last defendant's milk was analysed and found to be adulterated to the extend of 24.2 per cent. As the matter was a most serious one, Mr. Maitland asked the Rench to sentence accused to a term in prison.
The coolie, arrested and fined last week, told the Court that ao-ensed employed him to distribute the milk. The dairy was situated in Chapei, but witness did not know that accused had no licence to sell milk in the Settlement.. His master's wife gave him the distributing ticket, not' his master. Witness knew that the milk was found unsatisfactory before.
Evidence of the arrest was given by a foreman in the Health Department.
Health Inspector Terrill said that after the coolie, the first witness, had been fined last week, accused pulled out a bundle of notes from! his pocket and paid the fine. Witness asked who he was and accused said he was the proprietor of the dairy. He was immediately placed under arrest and charged a few minutes later. Inspector Terrill said that~ after accused': licensed dairy in Chaoufoong Road was closed last August, he had opened another place in Chapei from where he constantly supplied bad milk.
Accused, called, admitted that he employed the first. witness but he was vot engaged in the milk business, his place being an ice store. He employed thei first witness to deliver ice.
Questioned by Mr. Maitland, accused admitted that. he told the first witness to deliver milk, but sold very few bottles. The dairy which had been closed by the Health Commissioner sold him three cows, and a friend gave him the seal and the distributing ticket. He paid for the cows but not for the ticket.
In answer to the Bench, accused said that he used the seal of the old company to make people think that the milk came from there.
The Court: In other words, you swindled your customers and deceived the Health Department.
Accused: There was no deceit as the ticket was issued by the Health Department. If I can't sell my milk in the Settlement I will sell my cows and do other business in future. a Accused was found guilty of selling milk without a licence and was fined $100, On the second charge of using a licence belonging to another dairy and of forging a scale on milk bottles, a sentence of one month's imprisonment was imposed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.