CITY ABATTOIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11907, 7 March 1902, Page 6

CITY ABATTOIRS.

I A FURTHER DELAY. The Minister for Agriculture has refused to sanction Oakleigh Park as a site- for the city abattoirs, and it was anticipated that some steps would be taken by the City Council at its meeting last night to select a fresh site. The Council, however, succeeded in doing nothing except to rescind the resolution in favour of Oakleigh Park, which, in view of the fact that that she was only adopted subject to the Minister's approval, would seem to be somewhat unnecessary. There was not a full attendance from the start, and during the proceedings, which lasted for about four hours, one chair after anothei became vacant, till there was only a bare quorum, and before the final stage of the abattoirs question was reached there was no quorum present, and the Mayor had to leave the chair.

Early in the evening the following letters bearing on the abattoirs question were- read, and consideration deferred till a later stage, when the subject would come up by notice of motion : — The Secretary of Agriculture wrote intimating that the Minister for Agriculture did not approve of Oakleigh Park as a site for city abattoirs. Mr. B. Turner offered a site of 16£ acre? for £650 as a site for city abattoirs. C. Rs Williamson and Co. wrote offering a site of 300 acres at the end of Rosebank Road, vondale, 71 acres of it being an island, and the balance almost surrounded by salt water, having deep water frontage. The price was. £6500. A letter was read from the Master Butchers' Association, recommending as the next best site to Oakleigh Park. May's farm, along with R. Salmon's abattoirs. The Otahuhu Road Board wrote pointing out the advanatages of selecting a site between Penrose station and the soapworks, at St. Ann's Bridge, for the following reasons : —(1) It adjoins the railway line; (2) it has a frontage to the Great South Road; (3) it is within a very easy driving distance from Owhim(M, where all "the West Coast cattle are landed, and the same from Orakei, where all the cattle from the East Coast will be landed; (4) the district is very sparsely populated, and not likely to be built on for many years ; (5) sale yards have been erected at Otahuhu ; (6) plenty of water can be obtained from a spring or from One-tree Hill.

There were also several protests against the selection of Oakleigh Park site. During tho evening councillors were more than usually prosaic over trifles, and over some of the unsavory subjects which periodically crop up before local governing bodies. The Mayor gave them repeated warning that the order paper was heavy, but the business dragged on till ten o'clock, when Mr. Ma.sefield's motion with reference to city abattoirs, came on. _ By the Standing Ordens, the Council should adjourn at ten, but an extension of time was agreed to, and Mr. Masetield proceeded with his motion, as follows:—" (1) That the motion relative to the purchase of Oakleigh Park for public abattoirs be rescinded ; (2) that the Finance Committee be instructed to open negotiations with Mr. Salmon and the trustees of Mar's estate to purchase an abattoir site, and" to report to the Council." Clause 1 of this motion was carried, but as Mr. McLeod had a motion on the same subject on the order paper, Mr. Masefield said he would withdraw clause 2 till Mr. McLeod's motion came on. Another motion of comparatively little moment was taken up, and after some further waste of time the Mayor found that he had no quorum, and had to leave the chair.

The motion of which Mr. McLeod had given notice -was rts follows :—" Thart a conference be held to select and submit suitable sites for abattoirs for the city and suburbs of Auckland, the conference to be convened by His Worship the Mayor of Auckland, and to consist of three representatives from the city'of Auckland, one representative (mm each of the suburban boroughs, and one representative from tho Master Butchers' Associationthe conference to report to this Council within one month."