Meat Bill Before House

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 175, 27 July 1939, Page 8

Meat Bill Before House

Freezing Companies In Retail Trade

RECONSTRUCTION OF EXISTING LEGISLATION Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 26. The Alcat Bill was introduced in the House to-day by Governor-General’s message. The Leader of tho Opposition (Hon. A. Hamilton) asked tho Alinister o 4 ‘ Agriculture who is in charge of the measure if the Bill had anything in it to deal with freezing companies com peting with retail butchers. The Alinister of Agriculture (Hon. Lee Alartin), iu reply, stated that the Bill was practically the same measure as had been introduced in the previous Parliament but on that occasion the House had risen without putting it through its final stages. Although there were some 73 clauses in the measure he said only fourteen were new ones. It was really a reconstruction and consolidation of the old Act and its amendments. The provision iu the law that a borough or town with a population of 2000 should maintain a public abattoir was being changed to the extent of making the population 3000, and there was also a clause giving the controlling authority power to collect fees within the abattoir district though stock might not be slaughtered at the public abat toir. The law was also being tightened up, said the Alinister, to ensure that all meat for public consumption be subject to inspection, although it would not affect a farmer killing his own meat. Clquse 34 of tho Bill endeavoured to prevent competition between export freezing houses and retail butchers by a provision that a freezing company retailing meat to the public must provide a separate shop for its sale. Provision was also made in the Bill for a date for the licensing of meat export and Slaughter houses, said tlio Alinister. This date, it was suggested, should be uuly 31. The Alinister added that the measure would be referred to the Agricultural and Pastoral Committee who could hear evidence and make any amendments which it thought desirable. It was an honest endeavour to meet present-day conditions. Air. A. S. Richards (Roskill) asked whether retail butchers had been advised that the Bill was to come before the House. The Minister: Yes. Air. Poison: Are there any clauses dealing with freezing companies’ duties to exporters? Tho Alinister: No, but there is provision for investigations to be made if desirable. The Bill was then read a first time and a second time pro forma and referred to the Agricultural and Pastoral Committee. The Bill is actually making its third appearance in the House since it was first introduced in Alarch of last year. It known as the Slaughter of Stock and Inspection of Meat Bill. It is a complete reconstruction rather than a consolidation of the Acts dealing with the establishment of municipal abattoirs, licensing of meat export and other slaughter houses, the slaughter of stock, inspection of meat intended for human consumption and export of meat from New Zealand.