The Abattoir Enquiry.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7941, 24 October 1904, Page 5

The Abattoir Enquiry.

The adiourned. hearing;,of the. objecV : tion of the- Kairanga.County Council and.' ratepayers. (Mr Loughnan) against the site selected by the Palmerston North Borough Council (Mr Fitzherbert) for | the erection of an abattoir, on the Foxton Line was continued to-day. . Owing to the witnesses for the Borough Council not being present, due to a misapprehension, the case for the County was- taken, and. the .remainder of the Borough" Councils case will be heard subsequently. :.'.'. . .

The first witness called for the County Council was John Wingate; butcher, who said he did not think a more unsuitable site could have, been chosen in the whole of the Kairanga County... The .drain running down the centre "of the road was an obstacle when stock was considered,: while-the entrance to the section was; very narrow. He also thought the trains formed .an almost insurmountable difficulty owing to the number that passed the site. There was, he had' made out, an hour clear per day with the ordinary train services and trains were likely to increase instead of decreasing. He thought there would be danger to the public from the stock being driven to the abattoirs, butchers frequently getting stock they could do little with in their own paddocks let alone.on the public road.. The section was also, repeatedly flooded and during the last heavy rain there was water upon it, Jamieson's and O'Connor's properties did not flood and Greenhow's property- was also dry except in very high floods. Cross-examined witness said he had no particular choice in the matter of site, though Longbum would suit him better than any other. He thought O'Connor's site, at Awapuni, was a better site than the proposed one. It was higher and drier and was not so close to the trains. A mob of cattle could be driven with comparative safety _ but it ' was a different thing to drive two or three beasts. Asked if he could mention a serious accident that had happened through driving stock on that road,.witness said that fifteen years ago a ballast train had run into a mob of cattle and killed several. Since then there had been several minor accidents, but men with timid cattle avoided the main roads; The present selected site had not yet been drained and with a rainfall like last week, water would be found in nearly all paddocks. He did not think a siding to O'Connor's section would-add danger to the road.

■ Ec-examined fitness said that he'anticipated danger from the stock when they were turned at nght;angles :t& -the Foxton Line to enter the abattoir site.

Beplying* to the Court witness said cattle could be trucked to the site but it would be expensive and cattle might not be fit for killing when they got there. There would still be the danger to the public in driving the stock to the loading place wherever it might be. Mr Fitzherbert handed to the Court a rough sketch relative to the entrance to be provided at the site which the S.M. considered brought into question his jurisdiction. He thought his jurisdiction only covered the case so far as it ■was presented to. the Kairanga County Council. On any amendment of .that case they had not had an opportunity to express an opinion. Mr Thomson further said the County Council would be justified in refusing its permission if they regarded the proposed entrance as unsafe.

•. Mr Fitzherbert said'the County Council in taking opposition to the entrance and the consequent danger to stock was usurping the functions of the Borough Council, who alone would be. responsible for any loss that might, arrise. .-• The' County Council, would not .have, any control of the abattoir and would not contribute to: it; If any damage '.was done to.the. roads the Borough would be responsible!'". s •■

The S.M. said he thought the entrance question very important and one the CountyConncil was entitled to consider. Irrespective of the raising of that point by the . Council, supposing, said Mr Thomson, the matter came before him in the ordinary course of the case and he was satisfied that danger did exist, would he be justified, under those circumstances, in recommending that the County Council should give its consent? He thought the County Council would be failing in its duty, and he, also, if he did hot fully consider the entrance question. If the Borough had.any proposal to make regarding safeguarding the entrance to the site, it should be first submitted to the County Council, and then, if assent was still refused, the Court could be applied to.

Further replying to Mr Fitzherbert the S.M. said he did not think he could make a conditional order. He was bound by the case placed before the local body. ..'......

Mr Fitzherbert considered the Court's ruling narrowed down the enquiry very considerably, and lie questioned the Court's ruling-of the Act. He added the Borough Council was not bound to supply the County Council with any particulars as to abattoirs, but merely to mention their intention. The whole question was one not of abattoirs, but of sanitary matters^ •' ■: ;'. " ; '..- -

The S.M. reiterated the importance he attached to the entrance question, and, continuing, said "he thought the Borough Council. was confined, in the present proceedings, to the proposal placed before the County Council. It was possible if the proposal^ as shown by the sketch, was submitted to them consent would not be refused, &\ least on the; score of danger by access to the Site. '.. '.■■.■'. ' . -' .';■■■■■ '■:' ■

Eobert Stevens said he did not think a safe entrance could be made to the abattoir site. He also considered the crossing of the railway line would be found difficult. He thought there would be a menace to the public safety in driving stock there. There was hardly any. question of the safety of the stock entrance at Lohgburn, which was much better than the proposed one. Witness corroborated the previous, evidence as to the wet state of the ground and said it; "was usually :flpoded/three times/ a yeax, : during .which tipae- it might, be suitable for cattle but not for any other stock.''; ;: .•. •• " '.;" ..-,.:" *.- : '.■■'; ;•.',; ,'. ■■

After the luncheon adjournment T. Bastin, engineer to the County Council, gave evidence relating to several distances shown on the plan of the abattoir site. „'.

Robt. Stevens, recalled, gave evidence as to the cost of trucking., cattle, but it was inadvisable awing ■„ to the expense and, in the case of two'or three, cattle, it would not be prudent, because they would get knocked about and bruised.

(Left sitting)