OUR PUBLIC MEAT SUPPLY AND THE ABATTOIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 34, 10 February 1891, Page 2

OUR PUBLIC MEAT SUPPLY AND THE ABATTOIRS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l am instructed to thank you for the very able support rendered by your recent articles and various publications on tiio above subject, and in tho interests ot the public to respectfully request sutncienb space in your columns for the enclosed letter from Mr D. Goldie, M.H.R., and the Auckland Trade and Labour Council's reply.— The above will oblige.—Respectfully, F. R. Bust, Secretary Trades and Labour Council, Auckland. , OQI January 29,1891.

Mr F. R. Bdst. Dear Sir,—l received your letter conveying to me a resolution of the Trades and Labour Council re the necessity of a wholesome meat supply for the people ol New Zealand, and in reply would ]usb say bhab I shall be very pleased bo assist you to the utmost of my power, bub 1 would like to utter a word of caution here. For some time past there has been attempts made in the direction you suggest, bub invariably with bhe desire bhab the duby to be performed shall be paid for by the imposition of fees, which simply means thab the consumer musb pay an additional price for his meat. Now I think you will find that no new legislation is required upon the subject. If you will reud section 80 of the Public Healbh Act, 1876, I think you will find thab ib will meeb the.case, lb is as follows:—"Any medical officer or inspector of nuisances may, ab all reasonable times, inspect and examine any animal, carcase, meab, poultry, game, flesh, fruit, vegetable, corn,' bread, flour or milk exposed for sale or deposited in any place tor the purpose of salo or of preparation for sale and intended for the food of man; Hie proof that the same was not exposed or deposited for any such purpose, or was not intended for the food of man, resting with the party charged. If any such animal, etc., etc;, appears to such medical officer or inspector to be diseased, unsound, unwholesome or unfit for. food, he may seize and carry away tbe same himself or by an assistant, and have the same dealt with by a Resident Magistrate's Court." This, I think, should meeb the case, tho Inspecbor being paid as now oub of ordinary revenue of borough. D. Goldie.

Trades and Labour Council, Auckland. February 6th, 1891. D. Goldie, Esq., M.H.R. Dear Sir,—Your favour of the 29th ulb. to hand, which was laid before the last meeting of our Council, by which I am instructed to reply to the following eflect : — (1) That we thank Mr Goldie for his promise of support in securing to the community at large a pure and wholesome meat supply, bub regret that he fails to realise the vital importance of Government inspection, without which this Council is of opinion thab bhe public are unprobecbed frqjn bhe danger of consuming that which is totally unlit for human food. (2) That while Mr Goldie argues as an objection the cost of inspection would increase the price to the consumer, this Council consider it would have an .opposite tendency, and decrease the cost to botli vendor and consumer ; for surely butchers could slaughter stock cheaper in a yard provided tor them by paying fees—say equal to those at present charged .in the City Abattoirs—than by providing and keeping in repair yards for themselves. (3) Mr Goldie thinks no new legislation is necessary, and refers us to clause 80 of the Public Health Acb ; while this Council consider new legislation imperative to the public health, and cannot hide faebs. They bherofore wibh great regret conclude thab Mr Goldie is fencing bhis mosb importanb quesbioh. That gentleman concludes ample provision is made in clause 80 of the Public Health Act, which empowers any medical officer or inspector of nuisances, ab any reasonable time, to inspect, and examine any animal, carcase, meat, poultry, fish, fruit, etc. Our Council asks : " Who is to decide what is a reasonable time ?" and considers stock both living and when slaughtered should be inspected by a thoroughly competent man at all times. Would medical officers or nuisance inspectors visit ail abattoirs and inspect all stock before slaughtering and when slaughtered—without which we should bo in exactly our present position—and all vendors allowed to kill how, when, where, and what they felt disposed ? But even should the medical officer or nuisance inspector devote their time to the selfimposed unpleasant duties, our Council still considers we should have no safeguard against past evils. Can we expect a baker to understand a doctor's profession, or a doctor a veterinary surgeon's? (4) This Council expresses surprise at Mr Goldie's argument in this most important matter, seeing that he was very influential in obtaining the appointment of the present Inspector of the City Abattoirs some two years since, with a very handsome salary and liberal allowances. If Clause 80 of the Public Health Act is all that ia necessary, why did that gentleman use such strenuous efforts to saddle the City Council wibh bhe unnecessary expense of over £4 per week of the ratepayers' money to secure an officer thab he considers is nob required ? But he must admib that if required for the City Abattoirs, surely the same supervision is also required for private abattoirs, as shown by the City Abattoirs. Inspector's report, vide "New Zealand Herald" of 22nd December, 1890, as follows:—" Mr J. Robertson, in his annual report, states that during the year there have been slaughtered at the City Abattoirs 1,847 horned cattle, 5,507 sheep, 452 calves, 459 pigs, in addition to 3 bullocks, 16 sheep and 7 pigs consigned to bhe boiling-down esbablishment, being unfit for human, consumption. He considers there should be amended legislation so as to secure more thorough supervision of meat offered for sale within the city, and also the prevention of cruelty to animals. Being informed that a considerable amount of slaughtering was being done in the city, he reported his convictions to the. police authorities, but; although not actually_■ refusing to act, they did not, considering there was not sufficient encouragement from the City Council for the trouble of securing a conviction for this offence." We would also respectfully remind Mr Goldie that when the matter was discussed in the City Council one Councillor etated that he had seen matter freely flowing froni the lungs of cattle killed for beef, hence our opinion of Mr Goldie's inconsistency and fencing of this question. (5) I am instructed to point out the fact that the one Government abattoirs is the only possible safeguard, for if left to medical officers and inspectors of nuisances, it will be everybody's duty, and, consequently, nobody's duty. In a Government abattoirs the supervision would be com-

plete, bhe fees would be uniform and general, bhus making the matter self-sup-porting, at a much less cost than-under the present system, and consequently should have a decreasing rather than an increasing tendency to the consumer, tor all butchers' fees would be paid to the Government whereas ab present barely one-tenbh of bhe stock killed for, and consumed in the city and suburbs, contributes fees to the City Council, fully nine-tenths of such stock not being slaughtered in tine City Abattoirs and over which, under the present system, there is »o supervision whatever. . . (6) Supervision in private abattoirs is morally impossible, as such a course wouui necessitate a large army of inspectors w»o would require to be in constant attendance ab such abattoirs, tho butchers nob knowing in many cases when or whab they require to kill until they acbually require bo slaughter bheir stock. (7) Inspection in the shops is beyond the bounds of possibility, inasmuch as bheir meat has bo be cub up ab an early hour in the morning, which would necessitate an inspection of every shop in ciby and suburbs from 6 a.m. daily, bo enable bhe bubchers bo carry on their business. Being a perishable article, bhey could nob wait for an inspector to travel from shop to shop; and even were this possible, the adequate inspection would be impossible, for even a practical man could not tell whether, a beast had been diseased when cut up into joints, or even by seeing the carcase when cold, excepting in certain diseases. For instance, pleuropneumonia in cattle, or fluke in sheep, may be detected, or a practical man, by examining the inside of bhe ribs of tho fore-quarters of a carcase, can tell whether the beast has been affected with lung disease. Sometimes, bub nob in all cases, if bhe disease has been severe he can bell, inasmuch as bhe butcher slaughtering such animal has skinned the ribs to hide the fact. (8) The foregoing and numerous other incongruities at present existing require more strict supervision, and even though bho Government found it was nob a selfsupporting measure, which we have every confidence ib would be, bhe Auckland Trade and Labour Council consid.er ib one of those important matters ib is bhe duty of Governmenb to render all possible and speedy support in renovating morally and financially, viz., protection of the public health.

(9) We would respecbfully remind you bhab bhe above measures are carried out by bhe Governments of Melbourne and Sydney most sabisfactorily, and some of thelarge towns of the Southern provinces of New Zealand have a grant of land set aside for Governmenb abattoirs.

(10) Our Council furbherconsiderthe practice of driving live stock through the city or bhickly-populated suburbs, as ab present, extremely dangerous, and consider ib a further argument for the selection of one abattoirs for all, where the humane treatment of live stock, their healthy condition, and a strict regard to cleanliness and punctuality, ab a safe and suitable distance from the city, could bo supervised byan inspector appointed by the Government for thab purpose. (11) Thab I am instructed to publish the foregoing, also your lebber, and furnish each member of Parliamenb with a copy thereof, the same to be published in both sections of our local press ; and further bo inform you that we are in. receipt of letters from numerous members of Parliamenb, including labe Ministers, promising their hearby supporb in bhis important measure. Hoping you wity see' that bhe Acb quoted by you is totally, inadequate to cope with the evil, and trusting you will realise the importance of preventing private interests standing in' the way of public benefit; — I have, etc., F. R. Bust, Secretary.