BOROUGH ABATTOIRS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11854, 19 May 1909, Page 2

BOROUGH ABATTOIRS.

IMPORTANT CHAN(4ES

At the meeting of the Borough Council last night the following report was submitted by the abattoir committee : — "Your committee have to report that they have met on several, occasions, and alter careful consideration have to report as followte : (1) That erection ol cooling chambers cannot be recommended as butchers deem it not necessary. (2) That the present pithing pen be discarded and an up-to-date one suitable for say three Head be installed ; also that pig killing arrangements be brought more up to date by one oi the pens being raised for killing pigs so that they will gravitate into scalding .tub,; and that necessary scalding tub be procured. Also tliat a second gate at main entrance for cattle be put m. (3) That the committee do not feel justified m recommending killing by contract, but would suggest that with a view oJL reducing the cost of running the establishment that the Government inspector be appointed manager at, JBsO..per annum and free house, his duties being as follows: The whole abattoir to be, under the control of the manager. Book to be kept m Avhioh description of all cattle brought to abattoirs is to be en-tered-as required by section 34 of the Slaughtering Act. All books including day book and ledger to be properly kepi and attended to. All accounts to be made out and delivered to butchers, prior to the 4th of each month. Fur-' niah monthly reports to the Council on the general affairs of abattoirs. Attend to carrying out all , by-laws m connection "with abattoirs, and take charge and manage steam boiler. Take delivery of all -cattle brought *to abattoirs and attend to delivery of carcases to the butchers. Inspect all- premises used as butcher, shops and report an- ; nually thereon to the Council. Generally to act as manager and to conform to the instructions I'rom time to time given by the Council. That Work be' done by three, slaughtermen, viz, A.; Kinnimont, W. Davidson, and J. .Ben-; nedy, at a salary of £3 5s per week (tiiia being an increase of £lh «per an-; num each); man to clean yards, etc.,; arid a rouseabout. at £2 10s Aveekly. i This Avill necessitate Kinnimont moving into one of the other cottages and I the services of J. Kinnimont being dis-j penged; with. (4) Your committee also suggest that killing charges be reduced < as under > Sheep and -Jambs by 3d,< making ♦ charge 1« ; cattle by 6d, 6s ; : calves by. Is, 2s; pigs by Is, 2s; and' that no charge be niude for cattle .stalls.; This should leave a surplus of about £260 on the year's working. (5) That: the butohers either pay cash at time of killing or. run monthly deposit accounts. (6) Tiie 'Committee cannot -at present see its way to recommend the extension ol the town water supply to the abattoirs.'' The Mayor saiu tiie report was arrived at alter very- full arttt careful consideration. The preßent Government inspector would no doubt be appointed as an abattoir manager. Me- haa ilie necessary f certificate, iiie . men: would have a .little mire to do, but their salaries had been Raised.— ln reply "to- Cr bomer^ veil His Worship, said there would be a saving of £91 oh the administration.— Or. l/arton said the matter was important, and he suggested deferring "th« report for a iortnight.^— His Worship moved the adoption of the repjprtir-Cr. (Smith seeondeu. — Crl Darton ! moved as an' amendment that consideration be deferred for a' forthight.-e-Cr. : Collins thought that 'by ; postponing the .-matter they were postponing an evil^day.-^ Civ Darton's- amendment Jiot being seconded, O. Collins nxpved ; "that 1 - m the opinion of this Council it is linde^irable to change the present., arrangements . at the abattoirs, and : that the accruing therefrom be expended on the arterial roads 1 , leading' thereto. '^—Cr. Somerveir seconded the amendment pro forma.— ln reply .to Cr.~ Pettie His Worship pointe.4 out \ the proposed ' change m the administration.— MJr. Col-! J ins said that last ; year \. there was A£ profit at the abattoirs of ' £465, and he explained how that was made up. Thesurplus had been swamped into general; revenue instead of being expended on the abattoir road as the butchers were entitled to have- .done . ■ Referring to the deduction m killing charges he asked who the reductions were going to benefit. It would 'not^beriefit the batchers a.s they made a sufficient profit out of their enterprise. Unless the butchers, reduced their price of meat to the consumers a reduction m killing charges was a fallacy. 'He produced the following statement showing the profit -which tlto butchers are making :- Cost best: freezing bullock (16s . 1001b)— a b^sis of 8001 b beast, £6 8s; retailed at' 4d a! 1b all round, £13 6s 8d; good ox hide sells at £1 ; rough fat (60^) Id v lb, 6s; total £14 Us "Bd/; allow 2001bs for bones (]j7» 4d a ,1001b), £1 14s Bdj lulling 6s 6d; original cost of beast, £6 8s; total £8 9s 2d; actual profit £6 j 2s 6d. You buy at 16s a hundred and retail at 4d a lb, or £1 13s 4d ; .a hurt-; dred, difference 17i Ad.' Sheep ': Cost best 'freezing ewes Bs'; average 601 b s, retailed at 4d, £1 '}■■: skin value, 2s 9d ; fat I.t; SUbstract cost and killing" (6s and jla 3d) 9s 3d ; actual profit, 14s 6d • pi'ofit oh lambs, 7b ; profit on £1 i ss. There are nine butchers m the town, and their month's kill represent- ! Ed a profit of ,£1450 18s 7d. The Mayor said that going -into the f profit of tile butchers -was not before the Council, and- he .asked Cr. . Collins .» to; confine Mmself to I<he question.. They' were not dealing with the butcher and: his customer, but with the batcher's relation to the Council.— Cr. Collins contended' he, -was showing that there was no necessity for a reduction m the 'killing charges. Cr, 1 Collins was proceed-, ing with his figures when Cr. Kirk pointed out that according to Cr. * Collins figures the butcher's were making a profit of over £1900 a year. It was nonsense.— Cr Maynard : It is rot. V only wish s it were correct. — Cr. Collins continued at some length to draw coriiparisons. He mentioned the possibility of getting the Okit.u Factory pigs killed at the abattoir».— -His Worship: You need not. assume that, for Okitu pigs •won't be killed at the abattoirs at 2s.r— Cr. Kirk objected to Or. Collins bringing m personalities. He thought it was underetodd that personalilies were to be dropped this year.—- Cr. Clayton :- I rise to a point of order. No Councillor should be allowed to sp^ak when another Councillor, has "tKei floor.— Cf. Collins assured the Council he was ,not bririging m personalities, but dealing 'with the question as a matter, of business.— Cr. Maynard w^s proceeding to correct some of Cr. C^ltins' figures when His j Worship called %\m. to. order.— Or. Maynard, Said he oi}ly : . •wished 1 'to poifit out the erroneous figures, /One butcher had .gone through the Court, and ; there was 'other evidence I which ; did not' prove they ■ were" malting such a profit.-— Cr. Pettie congratulated ', : !lhe committee on its; report, and;: said he was.vjs'orry he could not support its adoption^? He did not agree ''with thb , reduction;, of .killing charges.- 'The chief objection he had to the s report was m, .connection with the alteration to the ; managements. The matter, -was ;threshed out • m the last Council, and it -was decided then hot, ijpj have a Government man as manager.' There had been- no friction m, the man' 1 agement, and 'it would be a mistake <to alter it now. '• To say tluit four ; men were going to do the .work of five was to his mind preposterouft. He '■ hoped the Council would pause beforei milking the change, for he wwars r sure it -would end m disaster. — The Mayor said Cr. Pettie had misunderstood the 'effect of the amendment. If the amendment was .otitvoted he could move another a(nendment to suit his views. Two' ters of importance were raised,, viz, 'that the profit from the abattoir should go to the road. It was, he held, absolutely wrong to overcharge butchers because they used the abattoirs. He would never , consent, to penalise any .«,one . industry to make a road. It was the duty of the whole community to make and maintain the .'''■' rpa.cl. A great mouthful had been made of the profit the Ijiitchefs/were making, yet m, coritradiction of - this they had one butcher going bankrupt, whilst they were suing another for his abattoir fees. To penalise the butchers for the road was wrong m every respect. The abattoirs werp erected to ensure that tli« ; residents ob>, thined pttre, clean, and wuplesome roeat.

and when they- obtained that the)- fulfilled the duty oi the abattoirs. Time and again they had heard tlie butcher.s say they Were keeping up the price ol moat because of l.'ie vxce.^ive charges. Neither the question of • profit nor oi monopoly was m the matter. It was not right to 1 say they were to pay the wages of the inspecting manager; they only contributed £50. — Cr Darton was sorry the amendment had taken tlie form it had, because there were many portions of the report which would have the unanimous support of the Council. Ht would have liked to see each clause oi tlie report taken separately and voted on. He contended that £260 profit was not sufficient lor contingencies. They had a depreciation on an outlay of £40U, to consider. Referring- to the question of replacing the manager by a Government officer, Cr Darton said the luttei could not be under the control of tht Council. • -He would not be a working butcher, but would be more of a "parlor" butcher. • It had been tried belore, and was found tobe an absolute lailure. Apart from the Government man not being a practical man m the full sense of the Avord, .they were* going to dismiss-, a man against whom there had not been a single complaint.. They had also to face either the question \ of a cooling chamber or killing on Sundays, and the latter would mean more expense. Ci Darton also dealt with the proposed reduction of killing charges, pointing out that their charges compared favorably with those at other places. Referring to the question of forming the road oiu of the profits, he contended that it -was not' 'unreasonable''' to expeat.— Cr Kirk; pointed" out that m at th'eii report they had been partly guided by a report? <trawn 'up by the old Council, and Cr Darton was one who recommended to the incoming Council that the profits might be- reduced. Proceeding, Ci Kirk pointed out that at other places; where the charges were m excess oi] Gisborne's, , greater facilities Avere offer J ed,- and most of the other places Avert lower. — Cits Dai-tOn and Pettie said such a recommendatioia was not carried by the old Council.— .Or Clayton asked that' tlie- minute be read on the subject.— Tliis was , donl?> . and showed that the re-^ commendation avos adopt-ed. — Ci"s Kirk and Clayton then entered into a cross . table argument, when his Worship called for order.— Cr Clayton said he thought! that all. l'e ports should be type-written' and supplied to Councillors before tin' meeting.- He did not see Avlint was U-.j be gained- by the proposed alterations.;! nor did he 1 see the possibility of any re-, i auction being feasible. The suggestion !| that three ,insrt^ad of ■ foui' butch«Vf| Avould bo .able to do the killing \vrns an utter absurdity. No injustice was be- 1 ing done ,to the butchers. If there wa>l to be any reduction it must be accompaniod by a. similar r«duction m the price of meat, but m this instance- it; was impractioable. A fair thing to the butchers and.i ncidentally to the con sumers was'' that, the profit derived f nun the abattoir should be expended on the. road ,to the After speaking upon the advantages of the present system,, he submitted that the 'reduction of charges' Avould bd, injurious to the Avalfare of the;town. ' : ' His Worship then put the amendment., which Wa«\lost on the casting vote o) the Mayor. 6 The division Avns : — For the 1 amendment:. Ors Darton,. Clayton, CWlins, Somervell, and .Pettie. Against: j The Mayor and Crs Harris, Smith, Kirk, and ■MayiiareL - j • Cr Darton mov.ed as a further amendment, that they "slibultl take the ' reix>r( clause by: clau^.--'Cr Pettie 'seconded. ~r C^rrfed.—rTlie Mayor AvithdreAv his origi -mbfcion.^-Glause 1, respecting thf 'absence qf need ; for a freezing chamber, was agreed" 1^;/likeAvLse clause 2, 'respect ing pitiiinjf i>en; Claiise 4, respecting ■ the adoption^ of a change of martagership, Wtts cjnrri^d by 6 to 4. Regarding the reductipn iii killing charges/ . C' Pettie moved that sheep, lambs, anc cattle be the . same as at present, anc calves and , pig* 2s 6d (reduction 6d). i Tlie " amendment was lost and "the mo tiori carrieiii- ' . "'....". ' : The femaifiing clauses of the Commit tee's recommen'datioiis Avere also adopted Towards 3^ a.m., as the Council was abouV to rise, Cr Darton gave notice to move to rescind the resolution altering the management of the abattoirs, and urged that action should be stayed, pressing the Mayor v lor an undertalking to this effect. The Mayor, however^ de; r cliried '■ to do \ so, ahdi .declared the mee£ ing closed. , : \.\