CITY ABATTOIRS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19724, 14 September 1929, Page 23

CITY ABATTOIRS.

DISSATISFACTION ! EXPRESSED. I COMPLAINT BY MASTER ! BUTCHERS. Butchers are very dissatisfied with the progress being made in. connexion with the rebuilding of the City Abattoirs, and they voiced this dissatisfaction strongly at the meeting of the Canterbury Master Butchers' Association on Thursday evening. The discussion arose when the report of the two delegates who sit with the City Council Abattoirs Committee was under review. Great objection was taken by members to the fact that nothing further had been done in calling tenders for the rebuilding scheme. It was stated that it is now some 18 months since the question was first brought forward, and for the past year various draft plans had been in the i hands of the Council, but each meeting : had seen further excuses being made for there being no finality reached. First J of all the Council had contended that the matter should be held over until after the City Council elections. When these were over plana were promised, and it was stated that tenders would be called within five to six weeks. Farther postponements had been made until about two months ago, when it had been definitely reported that tenders would be called within three to four weeks. But with all these promises there was still nothing done, and the latest excuse was that through pressure of work *due to the Square lay-out scheme and the Art Gallery it was necessary for further delay. Members expressed astonishment that the Council should allow such proposals to interfere with one which directly affected, the health of the community. ■ A leading butcher, when interviewed by a representative of The Pbess yesterday, said that he fully endorsed the above criticism, and he expressed the opinion that the Council would now find that during the approaching summer many butchers would. be compelled to go to the works to get their killing done, as it had been understood by these butchers who had remained at the abattoirs that the new cooling facilities and other improvements would be available for this summer. However, the City Council evidently considered the Square scheme much more important for the engagement of their engineer and draughtsman. Thus the butchers would be compelled to withdraw.