BUTCHER FINED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 83, 9 March 1925, Page 5

BUTCHER FINED.

ACTION TAKEN BY BOROUGH. A charge of having exposed for sale meat that had not been slaughtered in a registered abattoir was preferred against P. Cameron, butcher, of Palmerston North, at the Magistrate's Court this morning. Mr J, L. Stout, S.M., was on the Bench. The information was laid by Mr A. M. Spilman, manager of the borough abattoirs, and the prosecution was conducted by Mr Cooke, borough solicitor. Mr Cooper appeared for defendant. G. H. Jarrett, meat inspector at the borough abattoirs, gave evidencethat he had visited the shop in question on February 4 and had there found the carcase of a young sheep or lamb. It had not been branded, nor had it been killed at the abattoirs. Defendant, when taxed with exposing the meat for sale, had stated that it was the property of a friend. To Mr Cooper, witness stated that the cost of killing the lamb at the abattoirs would only have been about one shilling. Constable Murch deposed that he had visited the shop shortly after Mr Jarrett’s departure and had found that the carcase had been removed. This concluded the case for the- prosecution. Evidence was given by defendant to the effect that the lamb was a pet, but, as it had become a nuisance, it had been killed by witness. The carcase had .been at first hung up in the wush-house, but, owing to the presence of flies, it had been shifted into the shop. There had been no intention of exposing it for sale. The Magistrate held that an offence had been committed, but h.e did not think it wus a case for the maximum penalty. Defendant would be fined £l, with costs 7s.