MUNICIPAL ABATTOIRS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9170, 12 June 1901, Page 4

MUNICIPAL ABATTOIRS.

At a meeting of the Council last evening the report of the Committee appointed to confer with the butchers on the 29th was read ; also, the correspondence which had takon place on the subject. The Mayor said the offer of the Gisborne Freezing Company was unworkable m the opinion of the butchers, and it was now for the Council to decide as to what steps they should take. New Plymouth had decided 'to erect abattoirs, although they had freezing works. Other places were following suit, and it was well that Gisborne should not be behind hand' m this respect. It was better for the general public that abattoirs should be erected. He was under the impression that Nelson had spent £7500 on their abattoirs:, but he now found that they had only cost £2500. It was for the Council to say what was to be done. ■. ( Cr Lysnar said it was a very difficult question to know what they" should do for the best. The Committee had attempted this without bringing up a definite motion for the Council's consideration. He confessed he bad a considerable amount of difficulty m coming to any definite solution. It seemed to him that they should look at the thing m the interests of the consumers and the general body of ratepayers as well as the butchers, but they must consider the ratepayers first. If it could be shown that the abattoirs could be erected without any additional cost to the consumers, he would be with the butchers to have them erected, but if, on the other hand, by allowing them to be erected it was going to give the butchers a handle to raise the price of meat locally, they ought not to reject the, offer of the Gisborne Freezing Works. He thought anyway they would be justified m giving the Freezing Works a three months' trial. There was another reason, and that was that that property was the property of the ratepayers, and if it was possible to utilise it for this purpose they should endeavor to do so. It might t>e said that the prdperty was leased to a company. This was true, but the rent was an adjustable one, and if abattoirs were conducted m" conjunction with the Freezing Works the rent, of course, would have to go up. The main objection that he could see to the Freezing Works was its site, and m that respect he thought the butchers had a real grievance. It was very awkward to have to drive cattle through the streets to the slaughteryard. Taking Mr Shelton's prices, and assuming that his figures, as to the yearly killing, were correct, it would mean that the butchers would have to pay a good deal more for killing and inspection. The estimate for erection of abattoirs was £4000, which wva not an extravagant one. ' Interest on this at 5 per cent, would be £170 ; f»e3 for slaughtering and inspection, £200 ; and allowing £250 for the keeper, brought the amount up to £620. It came to this that the butchers would have to find £620, ac I still have to do the killing, which Mr Sbejton would do for a total sum of £616. Upon the face of it, there was no question as to which was the better. Were they justified m allowing the butchers to be placed m the position of saying to the consumers, "We have got to pay £620 fortherightof killing our stock," whereas if the offer of the Freezing Works was accepted the work would be done at a l-^ss cost, and the butchers wouldSfiave tLeir stock delivered to them ready for the market: With the desire of gaining t.me to enable the Council to get an accurate estimate of the cost of abattoirs, he rang up Mr Shelton to see if he would be agreeable to extend the time for accepting his offer, and he said he would not, and consequently unless the Council availed itself of the offer before the time fixed it was off. He thought Mr Shelton was rather hard m this. .He was placing the Council m an awkward position. Several Councillors questioned this statement. ! Mr Lysnar, continuing, said it might be prsrible to erect abattoirs fop less than £4000 There was another point upon which he had a considerable amount of doubt, and that was the risk they ran of not having the abattoirs used by the butchfm when they were erected. They ' might buy their meat from the Freezing Works direct. . He saw, however, that they were protected m that respect. If the Freezing Works sold meat m .this way, the fees would have to be paid. . Cr. Jones: That is the whole crux of the question. Cr. Lysnar said he was with the butchers at once if the question was one of pounds, shillings and pence to them and to the consumers, but if they raised the price of meat m consequence of abattoirs being erected he was against them. Any way, if they were going to increase their indebtedness by another £4000, it would weaken them m respect of carrying out other schemes. If anything could be dona to connect Whataupoko with Gisborae, the difficulty of driving would be overcome to a very substantial extent. It would be more .prudent to devise means of connecting tliat district by another bridge, instead of erecting abattoirs. He thought, however, that the Freezing Works should be given a trial, aad if it was not satisfactory, then they could go m for abattoirs. He moved that a trial be given to .the Gisborne Freezing Works, terms to be arranged, on the basis of Mr Shelton's letter. The motion found no seconder, and consequently lapsed. •> Cr. Jones moved that a committee' of the Council be set up to consider the question of acquiring a* site for the erection of abattoirs. He considered this juras a matter which they must face sooner or later. It was not a question of having abattoirs for three months, but for all time. It was time that Gisborne had abattoirs. He could see from the report that the butchers had very strong feelings against going to the Freezing Works, /and they had to consider them as well as any other section of the public. In doing this they were also consulting the interests of the ratepayers, who were dealing with these people. With regard to the question of driving, and Mr Lysnar's suggestion that another bridge should be constructed over the river conneecting Whataupoko with Gisborne, for the purpose of relieving the stock traffic, this was only shifting the trouble from the Gisborne people to the Whataupoko people. If it was bad for the town, it must be bad for them. The question of funds could be considered by the committee. Whether the guarantee by the butchers was sufficient he did not know, but apart from that it was their duty to go into the matter. Cr. Morrison seconded the motion, and m doing so said that there was no private company which would undertake the business at a loss, and if it would pay a company to carry on abattoirs it should De equally profitable to the Council to carry them on. They had a right to do so for the benefit of the public. Municipal bodies should not only undertake the erection of abattoirs, but gasworks and other things. Cr. Bright said he thought, m view of the schemes which the Council already had m hand, and which would involve a large expenditure, the question of erecting abattoirs should be allowed to remain m abeyance for a time. He moved that the report of the Committee on the abattoirs question be allowed to Hfc on the table. The amendment found no seconder. The Mayor thought it was the best, thing to refer the matter to a committee. There were several sites available which were well suited for the purpose of abattoirs. The motion, on being put to the meeting, was carried. Crs. Hepburn. Kennedy, Miller, Lysnar, and the Mayor were appointed a Committee to deal with the matter-