ALLEGED CRUELTY AT THE ABATTOIRS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11836, 8 March 1904, Page 5

ALLEGED CRUELTY AT THE ABATTOIRS.

The Mayor, in the coarse of his statement taTtbe City Council last night, «*»4 that several citizens had spoken to Wn» ibout alleged cruelty at the Abattoir, and a definite statement bud been made -th** stock was held «i tha Abattoir without [ood or water from Wednesday tiUthefoUoWr ing Monday, when the animals wete killed, liie land directly under the control of the Council wm 25 acres, and was practically bare of food. It was generally recognised that stock did better on land of this description whilst ' awaking daughter. Water was snpplied ia each paddock from p. well, and the end of a water-race cam* into the paddocks. The manager informed him that ■with the exception of pigs, no stock was allowed to remain longer tliau thirty-six hoars before being slaughtered, and no stock waa kept in the yards one* Sunday. The secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anrawls lvnd risked the Abattoir, and had expressed himself eatiitfß-d with what ha saw. Stock roming from country stations would not touch trough water, and ha had communicated with the Selwyn " County Council, wliose engineer would personally look into the water supply in the county wat«rrace. The Council, though not- directly reBpousible for the contractors, should also seethat feed wa» provided in the paddocks, and the Abattoir Committee would look into the matter. Stock trucked on Tuesdays stood all day on Wednesday ia thfc raleyards, and was removed to the Abattoir the same night, where the animals might remain for thirty-six hours before being slaughtered. Some regulation should be made that no stock from the saley&rds should be nent direct into the Abattoir paddock, but should be sent to accoramo. dation paddocks, where they would got feed end water. In connection with the actual slaughtering, a moveable bar should be provided which would obviate the neoeesity of four strokes being given before the animal was killed. If those who disseminated accusations and threatened to prosecute the Council for cruelty, would come to him or any member of the Council and formulate their charges and state tJieir' evidence, he personally (and lie believed every member of the Council would do the came) would do hir best to investigate the circumstances, and not only fthee*the blame to the right shoulders, but would see that nothing of the kind recurred. At a later stage of the meeting Cr. Cooper (chairman of the Abattoir Committee) said that the contract butchers hod ■ 200 acres of land on which to feed stock. A number of butchers had excellent paddocks of their own to which the stock bought at Addington was taken and kept until cent to the abattoir to be slaughtered. This showed that they did not require feeding at the abattoir. In some cases animals sold at Addington were driven from the. owners' places on the morning of the sale and in other cases were driven to a fair distance froni the city the night before, and invariably put into good paddocks. He haß on many .occasions seen euch stock completely blown out wiih the feed they had liad the night before. Two or three years ago lie ihad suggested that Papanui was the proper plaoe to have the abattoir. Regarding the water supply at the' abattoir, he had not seen o> better supply at the Sydney, Melbourne, or* Auckland abattoirs. ' He 'wotdd be sorry if it went forth, that they were starving stock at the abattoir; if the Council bad not feed in their paddooke, the contractor* bad in t&eire. The Mayor said ha had made no slur on the committee, but had dealt with certain accusations against the conduct of the abattoir.' The committee liad taken the keenest interest in the abattoir, and he had certainly had m> wish to criticise them.