NEWMARKET SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2477, 2 March 1878, Page 2

NEWMARKET SLAUGHTERHOUSE.

DEPUTATION TO THE COLONIAL

SECRETARY.

A DEPUTATION of Remueni residents, consisting Of Dr J. L. Campbell, Messrs J. Baber, J. Williamson, J. P. King, W. Aitken, Sellars, Kerr, and Dr Goldsbio' waited on the Hon. Col. Whitmore, Colouial Secretary, to-day, with reference to the Newmarket Slaughterhouse. Mr J. Baber, in| introducing the deputation, said, we wait upon yeu, Colonel Whitmore, as Colonial Secretary, on behalf of some of the resideuts of Remucra, with a request that you will take euch steps as you may thinksproper to get the Newmarket Slaughterhouse closed at as early a date as it can be done. Three petitions were presented to the late Provincial Government at three different times unanimously signed to the same effect. The chief objections are the stench arising from it notwithstanding all means used. The stench ia always very bad, especially along the Onehunga and Tamaki roads. The drain, &c, from this slaughter-house is carried down a gully of about 30 chains to the sea and seriously damages the value of property, some of which, however, belongs to absentees. In one case the property is worth a mere nothing, but were it not for this nuisance would be of some value. Another objection is the driving of cattle in a furious manner along the roads to the slaughterhouse constantly, and this ia dangerous both to women aiid children. A perpetual nuisance of this kind not only seriously damages property, but is unpleasant and unwholesome to many residents in the neighbourhood. I will not say anything further with reference to the danger" to health, but will lay before you the printed opinions of two medical men— Dr Goldsbro' and Dr. Stockwell.

Dr. Goldsbro' : I may state the date of that is four years ago, and since that report was published the floor and guttering have been better looked after; but the main nuisance exists there now as heretofore.

Mr Baber : Dr. Stockwell's report is much later, and bears out Dr. Goldsbro's report. The Colonial Secretary : I see that Dr. Stockwell's report is dated as late as the 26th January, IS7B.

Mr J. P. King :—There is an especially good and spacious abattoir at the Western Springs, and the space is not fully occupied at the present time. Before the new abattoirs were built, 26 butchers pledged themselves to use that place, and it -was believed that they -would keep their promise; but they now stultify themselves by keeping up that miserable place at Newmarket, because of the system of extreme surveillance that is exercised to ensure that wholesome meat shall be killed there and brought into town. I heard an instance where one of the butchers at the new city abattoirs killed a sheep that was unfit for human food. It was condemned by the Inspector, "Oh" said the butcher, "it would not be condemned if killed at Newmarket. Half of it is good." The Inspector aaid, "what would you have done with that other half if you had been killing at Newmarket?" '• Oh," replied the butcher, " send it to the hotels." The Colonial Secretary: For strangers like myself to eat, I suppose ! Mr King : You will see in the STAR of this evening a complete list of the butchers ■who pledged themselves to us 3 the new

city abattoirs, some of whom have aot kept their word. (The list appears m our advertising columns.) Mr James Williamson: The chief objection arises fiom the fact that the Newmarket slaughterhouse is in the centre of a cense population, one of the most densely populated of our suburbs, and wa all know that where the offal of cattle is, it breeds an aggregation of insect life in the district, and some of the houses are literally filled with it. Mr Baber: Yes, they infest many houses. , , , Dr. Goldsbro : Typhoid fever has been very prevalent in the place, and the deaths have been numerous. That danger exists even at the present time. The Colonial Secretary : Well, gentlemen if no other member of the deputation ha any further remarks to offer, I think I Cftii o-iveyoua satisfactory answer now. Itw the intention of the Government absolutely to close that slaughterhouse as soon as possible, and it will be possible on the 31st. of this month without breaking the lease or doing any injustice whatever. There is no intention to re-let it by lease at all, but a circumstance was brought to my knowledge the other day—l cannot say it has been proved—which commands, and must receive attention at once. The butchers say the new city abattoirs are not large enough to accommodate all the butchers of the town, and I understand from another communication -which I have, that it is not at all intended by the city authorities to insist upon every one of the butchers "oing there. If, for instance, the Borough of Parnell likes to have an abattoir in somo other place—Ellerslie, or elsewhere—the town clerk informed me1 yesterday, the city authorities will not have the least objection to that—if the new abattoirs do not provide accommodation enough. I have a communication here to the following effect:—" The new abattoirs would suit all the butchers, with the exception of the 5 at Parnell and Newmarket, I with whom the City Council of Auckland have no wish to interfere." If, as they state, they wish to close the Newmarket Slaughterhouse for sanitary reasons, I cannot see why they should have no desire to iutercfere with them. I think it is obvious that there must be some place for slaughtering cattle, and if there is not enough room at the city abattoirs it will not be possible to close the Newmarket one until some other place has been provided, but it would be foolish to release it, because that would keep it open longer than necessary for providing some other Slaughterhouse. Mr King : On the Ellerslie estate there is a Slaughterhouse at present being built expressly for the butchers, and there is a Slaughterhouse at Ellerslie which formerly all the butchers killed in. The only reason they want to retain this Slaughterhouse at Newmarket is because the butchers in the immediate neighbourhood have now a very short distance to go to get the meat to their shops, or to take the cattle to be killed. The Colonial Secretary . nave mentioned what would be the extreme course ; there is not room enough at the Springs, and no other place available besides Newmarkei3 The very utmost the Government would do would be to keep the Newmarket slaughterhouse open from day to day until some other place is found. Meantime I will take steps to ascertain what the actual accommodation is. Dr Hector will be up here in a day or two, and I hope to induce him to go with a member of the Butchers' Association and a representative of the Council to visit that place and give its cubic contents. I have got an official return here. Colonial Whitmore here quoted from a return made by Mr Mahony, architect, shewing that at the opening of the City abattoirs the charge for the cattle was 2s 6d at Newmarket, which was now reduced at the Springs to Is, and for sheep 6d which had been reduced to 3d, The space of the slaughterhouses enclosed was shewn to be 3,702 square feet, and roofed stockyards 2,672 feet, making a total of 6,374 square teet. Whether or not this is sufficient for the number of cattle required for Auckland, I am not competent to answer at once. The fact of my having got that communication shews you I am determined to be satisfied whether or not there is room before I resolve to close the •Newmarket place. That shall be done at the very earlist date consistent with proper provision for killing. Mr King : Their grievance is this : The cattle yards are at Newmarket, and the butchers have to drive the cattle to the springs. Of course, the butchers who wantlio keep open the Newmarketslaughterhouse raise every objection they can, but the real reason is that they have to drive their cattle to the city abattoirs instead of putting them into the Newmarket yards at once.

The Colonial Secretary : Their motives or the interests affected are not matters that we need trouble ourselves to discuss now. I shall not re-lease the Newmarket slaughterhouse on any terms. I shall absolutely close it, unless it be made clear to me that there is not accommodation at the city abattoirs or elsewhere.

The deputation thanked the Colonial Secretary for his courtesy aud withdrew.