THE CITY ABATTOIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9123, 3 August 1888, Page 6

THE CITY ABATTOIRS.

PETITION FOR THEIR REMOVAL. DISCUSSION BY THE CITY COUNCIL. At the regular meeting of the City Council yesterday evening, a letter from Mr. J. Currie, clerk of the Newton Borough Council, in respect of the condition of the city abattoirs was read. This letter has been published in the Herald. The following petition, signed by a large number of people, was presented by Mr. Evans :— We, the undersigned residents of Newton, Archhill, and Ponsonby, humbly petition your honourable Council to remove from the Newton district the City Abattoirs, on the following grounds : —That the site is totally unfit for slaughtering purposes, being situated on an elevated position in the centre of the borough of Newton, whereby the noxious and poisonous gases are carried by the prevailing winds over the Newton and Ponsonby districts, and that the health of the residents demands the immediate removal of the plague, your petitioners believing that the late scourge of typhoid, causing many deaths, was due to the poisonous odours emitted from these slaughterhouses ; and, looking with increasing apprehension to the coming summer, your petitioners trust your honourable Council will remove the City Abattoirs from the western portion of the city before the summer season seta in. Mr. Evans moved that the petition be received and Bent to the Finance Committee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Cooper, and adopted. The Finance Committee submitted the following recommendations to the Council with reference to the abattoirs :— Letter from Garrett Barry, re suspension of license : Your committee having heard evidence supplied by Mr. Barry, and Mr. Moylan in reply thereto, advise —1. That the officer in charge be instructed to rigidly enforce compliance to, and act in accordance with, the by-laws of the City Abattoirs. 2. That Mr. Barry's license be returned to him with a caution, and that he be informed that unless he in future conforms strictly to the by-laws, in particular clauses 23, 24, and 25, his license will bo cancelled. 3. Your committee also recommend the Council to appoint a working-inspector at a salary at the rate of £130 tier annum, and an assistant, for general cleaning up, at a salary at the rate of A.7S per aiinum.—D. F. Evans, Chairman."

Mr. Evans moved the adoption of the report. He said that the Finance Committee considered the charges made by Mr. Barry, and Mr. Moylan's reply thereto, at e special meeting, when Moylan's evidence was also heard. The statements on both sides were conflicting, and both men were to a certain extent to blame. With reference to the third recommendation, he sub-, mitted that the amount of work to be done at the abattoirs was not in the power of any one man, and the committee, acting with a view to economy as well as cleanliness, had passed the recommendation that a working inspector and an assistant should be appointed. There had latterly been a tremendous falling off in fees, and for the six months ending September, ISB7, the amount received from this source was £519 19s 2d, against an expenditure of £149. In June, 1886, the fees were £981 ; in June, 1887, £1001; and in June, 1888, —they would be surprised when he read this, —£474. It was impossible that one man could do all the work necessary for the proper charge of the abattoirs ; and it could not be supposed that a man would take off his coat and clean the place, and then put his coat on agairw and take tally. Mr. Crowther : I do it every day. Mr. Evans pointed out that the owners of other slaughter - houses were giving; improved facilities to butchers, and it was the duty of the Council to do the same. If they appointed a working inspector and an assistant, as recommended by the committee, they would not again be placed in the position of again receiving from the Newton Borough Council such a letter as had been read that night. Mr. Buchanan seconded the motion. The Mayor said that Moylan, whose pay was £150, comprised the present staffafc the abattoirs. If this report was adopted, the pay would be increased to £208, for two officers. Mr. Cooper moved, That clause 3 of the report be struck out." He thought it j was quite evident that a radical change was required either in the management of the abattoirs, or in their position. The i abattoirs should never have been placed in their present position, and he thought that councillors would agree that the position was not a suitable one if they were at the present time considering a question of erecting slaughterhouses. It was not any part of the duty of the Council to enter into competition with butchers. (Hear, hear.) He submitted that it would be a serious mistake just now to appoint a Working inspector, since the petition .just received was yet to be discussed He (Mr. Evans) had visited the city abattoirs on the day on which the recent slaughterhouse cases were brought before the Police Court, and they then found, without doubt, that there was a nuisance at the slaughterhouse. Mr. Lennox seconded the motion. Mr. Patterson said* that the Finance Committee had come to the conclusion that if the abattoirs were to remain in their present position they would have to be kept much cleaner. The committee had visited the abattoir® several times, and found that they were not so clean as they ought to be. Mr. Buchanan supported the motion of the Finance Committee. They had attempted to work the abattoirs with the present staff and had not succeeded, and the only remedy now was a change such as that proposed by the committee. Mr. Garratt said it appeared to him that the Finance Committee had something at the back of the recommendation; it seemed to him that the recommendation meant that they should dismiss the present inspector. If this was the intention the committee should have clearly stated so,, When the present inspector was under the direction of Mr. Woolfield he was doing Mr. Woolfield's work and his own. The Council did not uphold the action of the inspector in respect of the cancelling of Barry's license. He asked the chairman of the committee whether they recommended thab the Council should dismiss Mr. Moylan and appoint another man in his place ? Mr. Evans : If this report is adopted applications will be invited, and Moylan will have the right! to apply as well as anyone else. Mr. Buchanan said the Committee were not agreed as to whether they should dismiss Moylan or not. Mr. Garratt said it wis evident that the Committee were not agreed as to what the

man's duties were. It was not part , r I duty to collect fees. ' "is I Mr. Evans said that he did not cop 1 fees. Mr. Garratt said he had seen him ■ quently in the office paying fees t '-l"" Treasurer. Reference was made bv° \" 6 Garratb to the fall in the amount de • from fees, and he pointed out that th"fl had been reduced, whilst no accourr V been taken of the numbers of peer,/ t5/ i | had left, and the increased consumer meat supplied by the Freezing Comr° a& ' I He would support the amendment. '• ' I Mr. Atkin would support the am H ment. He thought it would be betfe ' ! remove the abattoirs, which it was t 0 I were not paying their way ; they were I giving satisfaction to the public, and I°' 1 Council should not enter into com..,- -'' e J with the butchers. - I Mr. Crowthkk said that when it Wa , I posed to remove the previous inspected" A was said that one men could do the ° r 'i' t P He was quite prepared that they T"}' § abandon the abattoirs if they w fcr 10U ''' paying. It was quite useless for the m" 0 ' I hers of the Kewton Borough Councillor '" rn I other gentlemen to make charges Ur n -* ii they could substantiate them. fc H e r "' i " |1 tioned whether at any other abatr"''" in the city such a large quantity 0 ""- H water was used as was used at the ("I' 1 If abattoirs. He suggested that the cl'auJt? Preferred back. He thought a man *ho li be sent out for a day or two to heir, M 0 fp to clean the abattoirs, if it was so ne - Isary. p The Mayor said it mattered very tj... 1 what was done with clause 3 of the rer it as the discusion would again be or>enpi>T It the petition. ' ' x - |§j The amendment was then put and carr' m by a large majority, and clauses 1 and ?'!! I the report were adopted. ' ' f Mr. Evans pointed out that members •' 1 the Newton Borough Council and o tb*~ p were present, and he asked that the » m Is man of the deputation should be allowed? l! address the Council. |I The request was acceded to and V, § Jonks, the spokesman, addressed the me"' ll ing. He said he was one of the erpatM- 1 sufferers; inasmuch as the City Abattc'r' ® had driven him from living on his q* 3 I? place. The abattoirs had been ill-kev 1 Their site was very unsuitable, as it stood ll upon a high ground, and the winds SWe ,.. f ■ the odours over the district. Other" re';" ! dents and property owners had suffered' ! great deal, and anyone with any pretension • | to decency would not now live" there, ?'■! nuisance from the smell, and the plague"; flies were very great, and the land'abont was completely saturated with animal matter from the city, property in tip locality being unsaleable. A petition w?J ll being signed, asking the Borough Cuuncii 1 to grant no further slaughterhouse license^ in the district. (Hear, hear). He would I not take his wife and family back to th» I district upon any consideration until the present nuisances were removed. " [. Mr. Evans thought the Council, when I they had struck out the clause, should have I suggested something in its stead. ' f