ABATTOIRS ARE “A DISGRACE TO CITY.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18187, 21 June 1927, Page 12

ABATTOIRS ARE “A DISGRACE TO CITY.”

COUNCILLOR MAKES STRONG CRITICISM. “ When the city abattoirs axe called abattoirs is it a euphemism. They should be called a slaughter house. Abattoirs are generally regarded as a glorified slaughterhouse. There is nothing glorified about the city abattoirs. They are not only antiquated but are filthy and a disgrace to the city.” The above remarks were made by Councillor C. L. Carr, chairman of the Abattoirs Committee, at last night's meeting of the City Council. “The people of Christchurch have no idea of the conditions under which their meat is killed,” Councillor Carr added. The Abattoirs Committee reported that, a number of master butchers trading in the city were having their stock slaughtered at the various Meat Export Comany’s works. The council was entitled to collect fees on all stock so slaughtered and sold or exposed for sale for consumption in the city abattoir district, but the committee was of the opinion that all stock for consumption within the district should be. killed at the municipal abattoirs. The committee recommended an amendment to the Slaughtering and Inspection Act be sought to this effect. The Minister of Agriculture recently stated that the Act would be amended during the coming session enabling the council to raise money for additions or improvements to the abattoirs without the necessity of obtaining the authority of the ratepayers at a loan poll, and the committee considered that the amendment which it recommended could be introduced at the same time. Councillor M. E. Lyons said that some of the butchers were buying their meat, from one of the freezing works which had set up as a sort of wholesale meat supplier. He suggested that the committee should take the clause back and try to come to some arrangement with the freezing company in question. He did not believe that Parliament. would consent to the proposed amendment. It would prevent butchers from getting supplies of frozen meat, and at times it was in th*» interests of the public to have a cheap supply of meat from cool store. Councillor G. R. Hunter expressed the opinion that all meat for the city should be killed at the city abattoirs. Only in this way could a proper supervision be exercised to see that the meat was free from all contamination. Councillor D. G. Sullivan. M.P., said that responsible people had made criticisms of the abattoirs of a most serious character. This criticism was not only levelled at the out-of-dateness of the. abattoirs, but also at. its general administration. Til view of this criticism he thought an expert report on the abattoirs should be obtained. He believed that a valuable and expert report could be obtained from Mr 11. S. S. Kyle, M.P., who was at one time manager of the abattoirs. The Mayor (the Rev J. K. Archer) said he did not think the intention of the committee was to prevent butchers getting meat from cool store. The trouble was that some of the butch

ers were beating the council for the fees to which the council was entitled. He suggested that the committee should instruct the council’s officers to see that the by-law was observed. A more serious matter was that some of the meat which came into the city was such that it would not be passed by the inspectors at the council’s abattoirs. Councillor E. 11. Andrew said, he did not see how the inspection could be more lax in the freezing works than it was at the abattoirs. All the work was done by Government inspectors, who were shifted about from time to time. He did not consider that tha condition of affairs was satisfactory at the abattoirs. They were far from satisfactory, but the council was precluded from doing anything because the ratepayers would not sanction a loan poll. When, the council obtained authority to raise money without a loan, improvements could be made at the abattoirs. He believed that if they improved the conditions at the abattoirs the butchers would come back again because it would be cheaper for them to kill at the abattoirs than at the frezing works. At present the meat was killed under disgusting conditions at the abattoirs. The recommendation of the committee was approved.