THE CITY ABATTOIRS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12620, 1 October 1901, Page 6

THE CITY ABATTOIRS .

Air J. C. Maddison, architect, has completed the mew plans for the city abattoirs. The building will be of brick, with the exception of the hanging rooms, which will ha of wood, with iron roofs. Plenty of ventilation has been provided throughout by means of roof ventilators, and the various rooms which need light will be supplied with sky-lights. The general superficial area of the whole building under cover is about 20,000 feet. If necessary, the abattoirs will be able to deal with 70 or 80 head of cattle a day, as well as 800 sheep' and about 250 pigs. The slaughter-house proper ‘ will be 125 feet by 36 feet. At each end there will be a skin and offal house, one for cattle, 28 feet by 24 feet, and one for sheep, 38ft by 28ft. One-third of the space will be devoted to killing cattle and two-thirds to sheep. In the department .far dealing with the sheep, provision will be made for receptacles for fat, tongues, andi so on, for each butcher, Who will do 'his own killing. A brick Trail will divide the slaughterhouse from' the hanging-room. This room will also be 125 ft by 36ft. Besides this, there- is a loading platform l , 7ft wide, and a covered way, 18ft wide, where carts and drays can ba brought up for loading purposes. , Opposite the pi'thing-pens, and outside the building, are the drafting pens ior bullocks. From- these the bullocks are driven into the killing pens. These are constructed on the most modern lines, and on a principle which practically insures the men against injury from dying animals. Bach pen- will hold only one bullock, instead of three or four. When the animal is pithed, a gate in front of it slides up, . and it topples over right into the slaughterhouse. There will be four of these pithing pens altogether. The drafting pens for sheep are about the same size. There are six holding pens for sheep, each about 12 feet by 10. They are so arranged that two butchers can work in each pen. The sheep are slaughtered, and are carried . bn an overhead railway to the 1 hanging room, and if necessary, to the covered way, where the butchers’ carts are standing, ready to receive the carcases.

Tho pig-killing room is about 30ft square, and the hanging room for pigs 20it by 30ft. The system which will be adopted is the same as in connection with sheep, The pigs, however, will be killed on aqv elevated table. The carcases will roll;.off’ this into tubs on a lower flo or. Underneath there is a tank for catching the blood. The building is fitted up with all conveniences for those connected with the abattoirs, including an office for the veterinary surgeon. The gates at the pithing pens fer bullocks, it is proposed, - shall bo worked by machinery. It is Mr Maddison’s desire, in fact, that the engines should supply all the motive power required. They will be placed in a room 25ft by 35ft, and there will also be a boilerhouse, 60ft- by 16ft. The shaft of the chimney will be about 60ft high. No provision has been made for a chilling room at present. It will depend on the controlling body whether or not there will be one in the future.

At the meeting of the City Council last evening, the Mayor (Mr A. E. G. Rhodes) said that since last meeting some of the local bodies had agreed, to use the abattoirs, and they would l all probably do so. The question of drainage would be settled, and 'the plans had' practically been adopted by the Council’s committee. Tenders would therefore be called for the, work at an early date. Mr W. W. Collins had informed him tuat 'the necessary sum for the work Could be obtained from the Government. The St Allans Borough Council wrote, stating that all the slaughtering in the borough would ho clone at the abattoirs. A letter was also read from the Sydenham Borough Council, stating that it had mo objection to authority being given to the City Council to establish the abattoirs.

At the Linwood Borough Council meeting last evening the delegates who had been appointed to attend the abattoir conference, culled by the Woolston Borough Council, reported that, from the, information before the conference, they could not recommend the Council to join with Woolston in the erection of an abattoir, as the revenue likely to be derived therefrom could not possibly pay tho necessary cost. At the same time the conference had expressed its regret at'the City Council not Living consulted the surrounding boroughs when it proposed to establish abattoirs. „ Eventually it was decided to reply to tbd ; - : request of tho City Council that the LjrfWood Council cordially agreed with jfife City erecting abattoirs, and would be jirepared to support them when in operation.

In 1760 Norwich had 150,000 hands engaged in woollen industries, and was the first city in' England in this manufacture.