THE QUESTION OF CONDEMNED STOCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2308, 26 May 1898, Page 15

THE QUESTION OF CONDEMNED STOCK.

A meeting of those interested in the question of stock condemned at the abattoir was held on Thursday evening to otvnsitier what proportion of the loss should be borne by the purchaser and the grazier. Mr T. Smith was in the chair and about 25 persons were present. The Chaibman, in opening the proceedings, said tbat in purchasing stock a person was boned to be occasionally deceived. He had seen an animal apparently all tight at the yards afterwards rejected, and though!; it a grsat hardship that the purchaser should be called upon to bear the whole loss. In his opinion it was only fair that the seller should bear balf tlio loss. They should come to some definite arrangement about the matter. Perhaps it would be a good idea for the butchers to approach the stock and station agents and see if they could get some recompense for the stock that would in future be rejected. If the butchers arrived at something definite they could bring the matter before a special meeting of farmers, graziers, and butchers, to be held during show week. He thought they were only asking for what was fair. In New South Wales the name question had cropped up, aad the arrangement arrived at there was that the butcher should stand one-third and the grazier two -thirds of the risk. , They were not quite so selfish here, however, as they only asked the grazier to pay one-half of the cost. He would move —♦• That the Burnside Cattle-sellere' Company be asked to modify their by-laws and regulation? so that all sellers of stock at their yards bo culled upon, provided that any of the stock bs condemned, to bear one-half of the cost, the purchaser to bear the other half ; and that no claim be recognised by the stock and station agents unless made within seven days of the date of the purchase." Mr Howard seconded the motion. Mr Randell understood that all cattle and sheep which came t into the yard required to be branded, so that they could easily ascertain the , names of the owners. | Mr Duke said they could easily come to soib® j arrangement with regard to the cattle, bub s,o far as the brands on sheep were concerned it would be difficult to sheet home the special seller. Mr James Smith, jun, ? said that io far as the agents were concerned he Was sure they would be only too happy to tali In with thte butchers on the question of paying for the stock. They would be pleased to meet them j in every way .-r-(H«ar, hear.) AU farmer* were 'jNfiSosed to b«ve a Mastered britn&i bn& hi

j die ooi ■jfie wh? those in charge of the abattoir i could nut kifcji p/iecord of everything that was j killed j Thr. C HiiRMA-s said be a!way« made a private '• note of iha brands of the different sheep he = boughs, and he had never found any difficulty lin the matter. The S*ley«irds Company could 5 easily make a rule compel'ing new brands oeing > placed on all the aheap that cazae into the yards. . The farmer was in a much bitter position than the butcher to judge tbe stock that w*s healthy. No matter how expert a judge a peraou might be, thero were times when that person wa? I deceived. I Mr Turnbull thought the motion was ia the right direction. Whether half the proportion was top ranch to pay was & matter of detail which conld be decided at a meeting of repre- ,; sezitatives from the gr«zien, stook and station ; agpiils, and the bu k chere. The details as to 1 br&ndicg-etock, &a , might also bs isft over to i a future meeting. Ifc was a question of a by-law being made sti,ou}atiog that all stock shou.ti bs branded when they came into tee yard. The motion was carried unanimously. Tbe Chairman said that a butcher had asked him whether it was not right that a purchaser of a condemned animal should be allowed to see tbat animal before it was taken away. He certainly thought th&t a person purchasing a condemned animal should be called in to see it before it was destroyed. Mr Kjsnny said he purchased a healthylookiDg animal, which was condemned, and he had never seen it. Mr Wingfiklp said tbe inspector, frhen be condemned ao anico&l, immediately gava official notice to the Kl#ugbtermen. The Chairman said that if the hafchsra wished to protect themselvas they should form a master butcher*' association, as gr?at benefits would be derived from such an association. If they were to epsak So the council with a united voice he had not the slightest doafefc that the council would try to sneet them in some way or other. If repreosnltttions wera made to the council he had not the slightest doubt that they would - modify tae;r by-iaws no a« to speet the wishes of the bntcberfi. Whs^n an aniraul was [ condemned the purchaser of tht>t animal should be informed of it imnsediately, so that ha might be given an opportunity of calling in professional serrice3 apart from tbose rendered by the inspector. If another professional man was called in, it would probaWy obvi&te the necessity oj destroying the carcase altogether. Mr Snowball was a very good man, but he was not infallible. Everybody was liable to make a mistake some- ! times. It was decided that tbe resolution passed during the evening should be brought before s, meeting of butchers, graziers, and fttock aad I citation agents, to be hald during show week.