SLAUGHTER HOUSE INSPECTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5551, 13 January 1879, Page 3

SLAUGHTER HOUSE INSPECTION.

Tho following report from the Inspector of Nuisances was read at the meeting of the City Council on Thursday last : “I have the honor, in accordance with instructions to lay before you the result of a visit paid on Monday last to the various slaughterhouses from which the meat supply of the city is drawn. This visit was paid during the ordinary working hours of the establishments, and without previous notice of the date at which the visit was to bo made. “ MR. JAMES gear’s ESTABLISHMENT.

“ This slaughtering and boilingdown establishment is situated at Petone, on the bank of a small creek about midway between the railway sheds and the Petone township, lately laid out by Mr. Barton, M.H.R., It has an area of about twenty or thirty acres, upon which are erected two slaughterhouses, side by side, one for beef, the other for mutton, about 60ft. by 20ft. each, material, wood and iron. The floor of the mutton shed is of brick and concrete, the beef shed of wood, a part of which is in a dilapidated condition. A wood drain runs through the two sheds, and empties the whole of the blood and filth from the slaughtering into the creek about 20ft. away, from thence by means of a box drain, the stuff runs into the sea below low watermark, about a quarter of a mile distant. The floors of these sheds were very clean, and I am told are thoroughly cleansed every day as soon as the work is finished. There is also capital ventilation, a fine current of air continually passing through the building. Attached to the rear of these are the cattle and sheep yards, the former just a gravel bottom, the latter of concrete. Between these and the creek some few yards away is situated the water supply, consisting of tanks filled with rain water from the roofs of the sheds, and a well sunk in the shingle about 20 feet from the stream and the same distance from ths slaughterhouses. Tho drainage from the cattle yard (if any) passes at the one side of this well and the open box drain (partially sunk in the ground) from the slaughterhouse, about 15 or 20ft. on the other side into the creek. I think that the water supply to this establishment is not by any means of a first-class character. The rain water is used while it lasts, and then the well water. There is not a great deal of water used in the ordinary slaughtering of beef and mutton. A cloth (dipped in hot water supplied from the boiler of the bailing down establishment), being wrung almost dry, and then used for cleansing any spots that may happen to get on the carcases during slaughtering and dressing. But for killing pigs, a good deal of this hot water is used. I witnessed the cleansing of some carcasses of these animals. The water supplied was from tho boiler before mentioned. The objectionable feature in this establishment is the manner in which the pigs (of which there were from 100 to 200) are allowed to roam over the whole of the place ; and the food they get. Some of these pigs were wallowing in the creek close to the buildings, others greedily devouring the blood, &e., as it came to the mouth of the drain and into the filthy creeks ; others were lying a little further away in dirty waterholes, while another lot were to be seen almost upsetting a lad who was wheeling a barrowfull of effal to a little distance from the slaughterhouse, say twenty yards, in their intense eagerness to get at the contents of his barrow. When this was upset amongst them the brutes struggled, screamed, and jostled one another tremendously in their efforts to secure a share of the choice morsels. Their food is principally raw offal, blood, &c., with some meal added occasionally. While in the beef-shed I observed some of them come in at thedoorandcarryawaysome liver in triumph. About twenty or thirty yards away are their sleeping sheds, in one of which I saw the putrifying carcass of a pig, and near these sheds also were the remains of several dead fowls. Although the place is very large, and is no doubt very expensive to maintain properly, yet I think a vast improvement might be effected if the pigs were kept at some distance in properly secured yards and not allowed to roam where they liked about the grounds. Mr. Gear has an island situated between the Hutt and the Waiwetu River upon which about 300 pigs and 60 head of cattle are regularly kept for supply. There are about 60 to 65 head of cattle, 20 calves, 700 sheep and lambs, and 50 pigs'slaughtered weekly at this place. “ MESSRS. J. AND H. BARBER’S ESTABLISHMENT.

“ Coming towards the town, situated on the bank of the Ngahauranga stream, is the slaughterhouse and yards of Messrs. J. and H. Barber. These consist of a large beef and mutton slaughterhouse, 50 by 25, with a small bone-boiling house, cattle, sheep, and pigyards, outhouses, &c, This place was, although in the midst of daily work, in a very clean condition. A great deal of care has been shown in the laying out and fitting of the whole place. All the cattle, sheep, and pigyards have concrete or brick floors, each of which has a gradual fall to a large drain leading into the Ngahauranga stream. The slaughterhouse floor is of brick, with a drain running through the centre. The water supply is of a first-class nature. A spring in the side of the hill, about 200 or 300 yards away, runs into iron tanks fixed there, and is conveyed by iron pipes to every part of the buildings. Numerous taps are fixed in convenient places, all fitted to carry hose, and the place can be hosed out clean in every corner, the pressure of water being very good. Every part of the whole place was thoroughly clean at the time of my visit. A man is kept here expressly to attend to the pigs, of which there were about 150 to 200. They are fed every morning on boiled offal, bones, meat, and ship biscuits, and allowed to remain in their yard till three o’clock, when they are driven some 300 or 400 yards away into a four-acre paddock fitted with numerous sleeping sheds ; they stay there all right, and are driven back to feed in the morning. A few young pigs are kept near the slaughterhouses, but their quartets are hosed out every morning. The whole place is very creditable to everybody concerned in it ; but it would bo well if the Messrs. Barber and Mr. Tyer of the wool scouring establishment would continue to lay a proper drain in the bed of the stream to carry their refuse to sea, instead of its remaining during dry weather in various parts of the creek. The Messrs. Barber have also a stock farm at the Hutt, upon which a stock of some 300 pigs are kept. These are fed upon the refuse from their shops and slaughterhouse, and occasional feeds of meal, See. The weekly slaughter average is as follows :—4O to 50 bullocks, 450 sheep and iambs, 10 pigs, and 10 calves. “MESSRS. WOODS, CROSBIB, AND CO. “ This establishment is situated about 600 or 800 yards beyond Kaiwarra, on the side of a deep gully, at the bottom of which a small stream trickles through to the sea. There is a wooden slaughterhouse and tripe boiling establishment combined, area of which is about 40 by 25 for slaughterhouse, and the other rather smaller. The floor here is of wood, and the whole of the blood, offal, bones, filth, &c., goes down the side of the bank through a wooden shoot into tho gully below. _ The slaughterhouse and surroundings will not bear a comparison with the other ones X visited not being in anything like such a cleanly state as could be desired. Cattle and sheep yards stand at the rear of these, with irregular slab floors, the incline being rather too great to admit of brick or concrete with safety to the animals; tho drainage from these runs past the

back of*tbe buildings and into the gully below. Behind this again is the water supply, brought from a dam about 10ft. square made up in the hill above, by means of iron pipes. This place is washed out every evening with cold water and twice weekly with hot water. Pigs to the number of 150 to 200 are to be seen here roaming about with the greatest _ freedom—some round the doors, others lying in mud holes a short distance away, while a large number might be seen immediately below the slaughterhouse in the filthy gully greedily devouring the offal, &c., as it came down. Sleeping sheds are provided for them at several points near the building, and a run round the place of an acre or two. Some part of the refuse is bolted or steamed and given to them, but their principal food is the offal in the gully, the stench from which is very great. A wooden drain from the sea, under the road, and up to within 20 yards of the building, has been laid, but, unless in wet weather, does not seem to be of much use for removing the filth. In this gully may be seen the most indescribable filth, and numbers of pigs wallowing and feedinginit. It would seem highly necessary that this should be at once altered, the stream bed thoroughly cleaned out and a proper concrete bottom put in, otherwise it is impossible for the surroundings of this place to bo other than in a most filthy condition. The meat for the members of the Hebrew persuasion is slaughtered at this establishment.

“The slaughter average per week is as follows ;—35 to 40 head of cattle, 8 calves, 250 sheep and lambs, 18 to 20 pigs. “ I think that in all these slaughterhouses a much greater state of cleanliness might be attained by the free use of a strong lime wash periodically upon the walls, &0., and the disgusting practice which obtains of blowing the carcasses of calves should be immediately suppressed. “I desire to acknowledge the courtesy shown and information supplied to me by the following gentlemen;—Messrs. G. Firmin, J. Gears; W. Best, Barber; Crosbie, Woods, Orosbie, and Co.—l have, &c., “Ale. G. Johnson, _ u Inspector of Nuisances,”