NO USE FOR IT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1099, 11 April 1911, Page 5

NO USE FOR IT.

MUST PETONE BUILD AN ABATTOIR?

JNTERESTING DEBATE,

■"TRY A SHOT AT AN OPPOSITION MEMBER.". "It seems to mo that it is limo wo tried a shot at nn Opposition member for here," observed Councillor Piper, of the I'etono Borough Council, during a short debate on the subject of borough abattoirs—which the council does not want— at tlio council meeting last evening. Tha discussion followed tho reading of a geutlo reminder from the Department of Agriculture that tho council, with ro-r-pect to tho abattoir question, had a duty to perlorm. Tho Director of tho Live Stock and Meat Division of tho Department of Agriculture (Mr. 0. J. Keakes) asked, in a letter to the council, for a statement of tho present position with regard to tho question, and pointed out mat u considerable time had elapsed since the matter was iirst brought beiore tho council, and lliat it would be necessary that reasonable steps should be taken to .comply with the provisions of the Act governing tho position. The Mayor iMr. J. AY. M'Ewan) explained that when tho council discussed tuo matter on a previous occasion _it was decided to eend a remit to the Municipal Conference in order that the position of municipalities with regard to the obligatory clauses of the Bill proposing to lis certain rules and regulations for. tho establishment ot abattoirs might be freely ventilated. At the conierence, ho (the speaker) had been assured by Mr. Wilford that that aspect of the question would lie brought beiore Parliament when the amending Bill came up for discussion in tho House. Apparently, nothing had been done, and now the council was asked to state what tho position was! Under the law the Government could insist that nil meat should be killed at the municipal abattoirs. "Tell them we aro keeping it steadily in view," suggested Councillor Short, facctiouslv.

"I should like to move (hat this council has no use for an abattoir," said Councillor Piper. "Has the Department power to compel tho council to provide an abattoir?"

"The Act says so," said Councillor Short.

Tho Mayor added that the mileage clause was tho trouble. They were over tho limit of distance so far as tho Wellington City Council's abattoir was concerned, and if Petone butchers used theso there would bo charges to pay. The Gear Company's abattoir was quite sufficient for the needs of the district, and a municipal abattoir would lie superfluous. Councillor List said that tho compulsory clauses had had the effect, of wiping out about twenty of tho "small men down south, and tho creation of a "big man's" ring.

"Let them try to compel us, and se« v how they get on," said Councillor Short, 1 defiantly. "Tho best thing wo could do would ba for us to concoct a diplomatic letter," simsested the Mayor. "Put it another way—l'll mow that tho matter be left to tlio new council to deal with," said Councillor Piper. So, nmid laughter, tho council aoquiosced, and passed on to the next business.