KILLING OF RAMS

Wairarapa Daily Times, 19 September 1934, Page 6

KILLING OF RAMS

ABATTOIR FIGURES. AIATTER BEFORE COUNCIL. Air J. P. Stewart, manager of the Alasterton abattoir, reported as follows to the meeting of the Alasterton Borough Council last night:— I have to report for the month of August as follows: —Stock slaughtered: Cows 242, heifers 39, oxen 65, boners (cows) 25, bulls 3, calves 106, ewes 455, wethers 424, rams 257, lambs 71, pigs 53. Tho fees for the month amounted to £250 19s 9d.

As instructed by the committee, I dispensed with the services of the head slaughterman (R. G. Coulston) as from 15th September. Since then the work has gone ahead very satisfactorily with tho assistance of a temporary slaughterman (G. Brown).

STATEMENT BY MAYOR.

AIINISTER EXPLAINS,

At the Borough Council meeting last night the Alayor stated that, in regard to the statements made relative to the killing of rams at the Alasterton abattoir, and the subsequent false statements made in connection therewith, there had appeared an abusive letter by an ex-Ministcr. He himself had written to this member of Parliament, but had not yet received a reply. He had also communicated with the Minister (the Hon. C. E. Alaemillan), who that day had sent him a memo, that he intended to make (and did) the following statement in the House:—

“A great deal of publicity has been given to tho matter of the killing of rams at Alasterton abattoir for,sale for human consumption in Wellington, and it seems necessary to get this matter into its proper perspective and judge it upon its actual,' merits. “In the first place it must be realised that the flesh of a healthy ram cannot be regarded as harmful to human health or unfit for human food. The people of New Zealand are accustomed to meat of the best quality, and a prejudice against rain meat does exist —a prejudice which is especially warrantable in the case of some old rams whose flesh has an objectionable odour and is unpalatable and undesirable as food. Our, inspectors entirely reject these, find in general go further in the matter of rejecting ram carcases than do inspectors in any other country regarding whose procedure information is available. In the ease of these Alasterton rams a proportion were wholly rejected and sent for boiling down, a number of others were classed as ‘boners,’ and the carcases stamped as such, tho stamps being made on several parts of the carcase, and only the best were passed outright as mutton after inspection by a Government veterinary surgeon whom the abattoir inspector consulted.

“As regards the Borough Council in its capacity as the controlling authority of a registered abattoir, it is under a legal obligation to keep the abattoir available for the, slaughter of stock (i. 0., ‘cattle, sheep, swine or goats, irrespective of sex or age’). The whole question of this killing of rams for food purposes has been giypn consideration, and it has been decided as a further measure that all mature ram carcases not rejected by inspectors shall be required to be stamped on at least six parts of the carcase with, the word 'ram* in bold lettering. Arrangements for bringing this about are in hand.” The Mayor took strong exception to any blame in the matter being put upon the Council, which had nothing whatever to do with where the meat went. The abattoir was for the killing of sheep, cattle, etc., irrespective of age or sex, and the passing of such meat was in the hands of a Government inspector. In no way was the Council responsible. He referred to his letter to the Minister, which had been published in the “Daily Times.” Several councillors expressed surprise at the statements made, and considered them so ridiculous that they did not warrant them being taken seriously. In reply to Cr. Barr, the Mayor stated that Coulson had not been discharged in connection with the killing of rams, and gave the actual reason for his dismissal. , Mr T. A. Bussell (borough inspector) stated that there had not been one complaint about the quality of meat sold in Masterton in the past 13 years.