THE CITY ABATTOIR

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22240, 3 November 1937, Page 20

THE CITY ABATTOIR

TO THE EDITOR 0T THE TRESS. Sir,—The edict of the Minister for Public Works that the local freezing works should pay further tribute to help the city abattoirs pay their way is typical of the man who is prepared at a moment's notice to talk about things he does not understand and also of the Socialistic mind, which at all times is glad to put shackles on private enterprise. The best thing to do with the city abattoirs is to burn them down. They are just a parasitic carbuncle on the body politic, calculated to expand bureaucratic rule and trade union tyranny. They are simply a burden on the community, putting up the cost of the people's food and spoiling our meat. They have no proper accommodation paddocks and a large proportion of the stock is starved for several days before slaughter, with disastrous results to its eating qualities. The public do not realise this, because they have been reared on tough meat. It is almost impossible to buy tender mutton in Christchurch. Having spoiled our meat, the City Council is now itching to spoil our milk. All these municipal enterprises, like the tramways, become the prey of trade unionism and a tax on the community. Why do they not pay? Simply because they are exploited to pay extortionate wages. There might be some excuse for paying the current rates to freezing works butchers because they have a short season, but to pay £8 to £lO a week to men who have a yearly job is simply extortion and an unjustifiable tax on the public food. Why should the man who kills a sheep get double the pay of the man who produces it or who tends it? Any shepherd can kill and dress a sheep, but no small sheep farmer or shepherd can earn the pay of a butcher. Most of them do not get half of it. In a word, if the abattoirs were closed down and all stock slaughtered by the local freezing works, the general public and ratepayers would save thousands a year and get better unci cheaper meat.—Yours, etc.. JUMBUCK. November 2, 1937.