PUBLIC ABATTOIRS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1425, 22 June 1899, Page 43

PUBLIC ABATTOIRS.

THE CITY MEAT SUPPLY. A REQUEST BY THE RETAIL BUTCHERS. A deputation consisting of Messrs H. McArtney, C. Luxford, G. W. Banks, F. Guy, A. Duncan, J. Whit-worth and J. T. Sa-psford, representing the Wellington Retail Butchers’ Association, waited upon the Mayor (Mr J. R. Blair) at. the Council Chambers on the 14th with reference to the question of the establishment of public abattoirs for the city. Mr McArtney said they had been led io beneve by r»lr V\. J. Garrett, president of their association, that the Mayor had expressed a wish that the retail butchers should have a look round and pick out a. site which they considered would be suitable for public abattoirs for the city, and submit a proposal to him on the subject. Well, one day recently they accordingly went out, and, after inspecting various places, they came to the conclusion that the site now partly occupied by Air Banks, and situated off the Hut-t road, betw’een Kaiwarra and Ngahauranga, would be a very suitable site for the purpose. At the meeting of the association at which the matter was considered there were twenty-four members present, and the resolution in favour of the site he had mentioned was carried by 19 votes to 4. One reason why this site was favoured was that it was conveniently close to the city for the smaller dealers who would use it. They would be able easily to get out in the afternoon to see their stock killed. Then the haulage, in bringing the meat to town, would be very inconsiderable, both in point of distance and as regarded cost. The less handling and carriage meat had, the better for it. There was a level road the whole way to and from town. A further reason in favour of the site was that there was a beautiful supply of fresh water at hand. With a dam, a good pressure of water could be secured. This would, for one thing, lessen the risk of fire, and reduce the insurance premium. The stream, moreover, was an unpolluted one. The site had another advantage in its proximity to tho Johnsonville saleyards. There was a road by which cattle could bo driven to the sice without using the main road at all, though, of course, there would be objection to the use of the main road between certain hours. The back road which he suggested might be used was very little used for ordinary traffic. At other sites which had been suggested there was a difficulty as to the water supply. Some of them also were too far away. At the site favoured by the association thero was, as he had already said, pure water, and plenty of it, which was a great thing in connection with abattoirs. It was reckoned that, if the Gear Company and the Meat Export Company were left out of consideration, something like ninety-five bullocks would be killed at the abattoirs per week. If these companies were included in tho estimate, the number would bo about 150. Of course, the association was of opinion that all butchers who sold meat in Wellington should be required to kill at the one place. They all competed in the one market, and therefore it- would be only fair that they should all kill together. The abattoirs would in that case be one of the best assets the city could have. From the revenue derived from them something like £SOO a year would be cleared by the city. The Mayor: Y T ou may have seen of the trouble in Christchurch ? Mr McArtney : Yes. The Mayor: They seem to a trouble there very much like that which we have here, they have one big- private killer, apparently, and then there are the freezing companies. I don’t know whether the freezing companies supply meat to the butchers, but I notice that the Mayor of Christchurch has made a statement that unless they brought in all the butchers to use the city abattoirs, there would he a big deficit on them. You propose that all the people who have shops in town should kill atthe public abattoirs ? Mr McArtney: Yes; certainly. We all have to compete in the one market-.

The Mayor asked what access there Was from the west bo the site proposed by the deputation. Air McArtney said there was a rcsvl from KhandaJlah straight to tho sections. There was also another ioad, but although it was laid out, it was aa yet unformed. As there was plenty of water, there need be no fear of ary smell arising from the abattoirs. _ The Mayor: Supposing it- were possible to erect the abattoirs on the plateau, is there a decent road to the flat ? Mr McArtney: One would have to be made. Tho Mayor: Could one be made? Air McArtney: Yen. Ana there are beautiful paddocks’ between KhandaJlah and the site. A butcher’* carter cc-ul-d easily go out from town to the site we propose and get back again in an hour and a half. The Mayor: What is the area of the sections ? Air Banks: The section that the buildings are on is about fifty acres :u>. extent, and the top section u of afcc-ut the same area. The Mayor: Then I understand firr.rn you that the butchers of We'flingtc a want public abattoirs? Air McArtney: Most decidedly. The Alayor said he would try to get the matter before the Council to-night. If he was not able to do that, he would bring it before the Council at the next meeting a fortnight hence. This would be to get the Council’s authority to put the matter before the ratepayers. Air McArtney said there seemed to have been an impression in the public mind that the small butchers of Wellington were against abattoirs. They were not. They did not take r.p any position of the kind. But it had "to bo remembered that no private butcher could afford to pay for an inspector for himself, as the big companies wore doing. The retail butchers were also given to understand that 'no Cd.y Cbsuroil. had made up its mind in favour of the establishment of abattoirs. The Alayor said the Council had. jaoti so far taken any definite steps. There was an Empowering Act. One would: have thought- that under it the abattoirs question would have been brought before the ratepayers, but it was not. AV-hen they 7 were consulted on other matters included in the Act-, tho abattoirs question was left out. The Mayor went on to say that he was entirely in sympathy with the deputation in ita desire to see abattoirs established for the city, and that he would do anything he could to expedite their establishment. Under the altered -conditions, the two meat companies were in an advantageous position. He thought it behoved the City Council and tho people of Wellington to place the privatebutchers m as favourable a position. a» the companies. As things were nc*w, the companies could claim, that their meat was inspected, and that the meat killed at private slaughter-houses was not.

Air AlcArtney said that at present tho customers of a private -slaughter-how© had to take some meat from the companies, in order that they cc-uld supply it to people who asked for it. Therefore, the deputation would like to see the establishment of public abattoiis got along with as -soon'as possible. The Alayoi said that, as they knew, he had had experience with the meat companies. At an interview which ho. had with the gentlemen who waited upon him some little time ago, c-n tho introduction of Air F. A. Emil, of AVanganui, lie vine Mayor) formulated a basis in regard to the establishment and carrying on of abattoirs. In matters of this kind, the line of least resistance was. the one to follow. If they were to insist upon all the meat sold in the city being killed at the public abattoirs, it would raise an amount of opposition that might at least delay their establishment. Tie recognised that it would place the srn aJI butchers at a considerable disadvantage if the whole burden in connection with the abattoirs were to fall upon them. He thought the course he would suggest would not bo resisted. It wc-rdd place the small butchers at no disadvantage, whilst at the same time it would enable them to obtain what they desired. Air Luxford: We heard before wo came here that the Council had already decided upon a site. The, Alayor: I do not think that is so. Air AlcArtney : It has been said that we would be only wasting cur time if we came here. The Alayor said that neither the Town Clerk nor himself knew of any such decision. The deputation then discussed the question with Air Blair in private on points of detail.