DISEASED MEAT.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7829, 6 April 1891, Page 6

DISEASED MEAT.

FURTHER OPINIONS OF CHRIST-

CHURCH BUTCHERS.

[Bt OCR Special Reporter.]

Mr R. Brown, butcher, Lower High street, said that he considered much had been said in public on the diseased meat question by people who spoke without due thought lor by people who had not a practical knowledge of the subject. He himself believed that nowhere in the world were animals so generally healthy and free from disease. He had seen a great deal of stock killed in the Old Country, and considered that in regard to health they were far inferior to ours, but that stock imported from foreign countries usually looked the worst, as it had generally been knocked about considerably. Fluke was quite common at Home, but was rare amongst the class of sheep killed in Canterbury. He believed that Canterbury beef aud mutton were more wholesome and healthy than that in other parts of New Zealand. With regard to a public abattoir, he did not consider such an institution necessary, nor did he see very much need for inspection. Butchers were fairly good judges of stock, and for their own aakes would not be inclined to;buya diseased animaL He did not think the abattoir system would work well here. Auckland people got much of their beef direct from New Plymouth and Wanjranui, and it could be taken to the abattoir aud killed directly it had cooled down. Here cattle had sometimes to travel a considerable distance. They occasionally got a good deal knocked about, and it was necessary to keep them in some paddock for a week or two. He considered that if the law compelled butchers to kill at a public abattoir it would cause some of chem heavy loss, as the land they had leased and the buildings they had erected for slaughtering purposes would be useless. He was o£ opinion that if the public abattoir system became law meat would become at least a halfpenny per pound dearer. He did not believe that even one bullock in a thousand was diseased. Mr F. Hopkins, butcher, Colombo street, said that although the question of diseased meat being used as —od was a most important one, he thought that some geople had said more about it than their nowledge of the subject warranted. He considered that there was very little diseased meat sold by the respectable butchers of Christchurch. The Rev. Mr Zachariah, the late Jewish Rabbi, had dealt largely with his firm. He had examined animals at the slaughterhouse for eight years, and had only refused to pass one bullock, and had not rejected one sheep. The bullock rejected was not cancerous; it was in good condition except for the fact that part of the animal's lung was attached to the ribs. Mr Hopkins stated tbat he had been talking to one or two of the most experienced butchers in Christchurch, and they agreed that the young cattle of Canterbury were more healthy than any other cattle they had seen; that on rare occasions they had noticed that cattle from low swampy places suffered from some complaint that caused the lungs to adhere to the rlba, but tbat cancer in young stock was almost If not quite unknown. Amongst old cows tnere might be cancer, and Mr Hopkins remarked that he believed the flesh from old cows that had been milked a great deal, and that had been fattened for the market, might be dangerous." He felt strongly on tuis point, and considered it was necessary that more rigorous steps should be taken in the inspection of aged cows offered for. sale at Addington. He suggested that a law should be made to prevent cows being milked after a certain age, and considered that this wouid cause the cows to be fattened up and killed before they reached a daugerous state. He believed if this were done there would be very little cancer. Mr Hopkins stated that he had seen old cows fearfully diseased, sores on udders and on other parts, wretched looking objects, being milked, and the milk sold to people. He believed that, there ! was more danger of disease being propagated through milk than through meat. The diseased old cows, such as might be found in some dairies, threw, calves which might also be .diseased. He had seen calves sold in "Christchurch for such prices as a shilling and eigbteen-pence, and these calves were shameful looking objects. . He believed that a certain contagious disease was not uncommon in some herds used for dairying purposes. Mr Hopkins said that he had heard consideraole discussion on cancer, and would like to know whether | this disease was as common amongst poor people as amongst rich, as it might throw' some light on the question as to whether the meat from old and probably diseased cows which the poorer people bought aa cheap meat was as »harmless as the higher priced meat from healthy { young cattle. Mr Hopkins did not think I that the people should run away with the ! idea that disease was prevalent out here. He pointed to the fact that the late Jewish Rabbi, the Rev. Mr Zachariah, bad only ' found about one animal to reject in eight years' examination of cattle, and that the Rev. Chadowski had not found .any cancerous cattle since he had been exam* imng~at the-'yard- 'off Mr Harris. Mr Hopkins'consfdered that something should be aone to prevent the sale 06: aged cows and considered inspection .necessary on this point. He was not' averse to the erection of abattoirs, and the most rigorous inspection of meat; but he did not consider that butchers should he losers by the erection of abattoirs, nor that their working expenses in this respect should be increased. He had been told that abattoirs were costly affairs, and thought that strict inspection of cattle at saleyards, and a law forbidding cows being milked beyond a certain age might prevent any danger—om diseased meat. Mr Cooper, of the City Butchery, Armagh street east, stated- that disease was very uncommon amongst young cattle or sheep in Canterbury. He believed that perhaps one in two hundred sheep might suffer from fluke, but did not consider that it had been proved that nuke was capable of being transmitted to mankind through eating the flesh of sheep, suffering from ie He believed that the chief danger lay in the flesh of old cows, that the flesh of old cows as a rule was unfit for human food, and that the milk from old cows was more dangerous. than the flesh. He knew that some of these .old animals were bought by a certain class of butchers and killed for beef. He thought it would be a good thing for the public if something was done to prevent that class of meat Being sold, Ho thought it would be a good thing to nave inspectors of meat, and that the best class of outchers would benefit by a. system of meat Inspection. Abattoirs would cost a great deal of money. Personally he had no objection to the erection of an abattoir here, but if so compensation should be 1 allowed to those butchers who hadTgbne j to'the expense of erecting large premises of their own. He considered that far too much fuss had been made about diseased meat, and there was little doubt that Canterbury cattle and sheep, enjoying as they did pure water, a good climate, fine grass and comparatively new pasture, were more healthy' than any other cattle and sheep in the world.