ABATTOIRS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9238, 16 October 1895, Page 3

ABATTOIRS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —Your correspondent, " Citizen," in your issue of the 12th inst., asks you to take up the question of the establishment of public abattoirs, giving as his reason the rapid increase of cancer in the human being in New Zealand, which, as he says, must be owing " to cancerous flesh food, or is engendered by unclean slaughtering, &.!.,"and he goes on to ask, " Have we an Inspector of dlaughter-houses ?" I have no doubt that, sooner or later, we shall have public abattoirs but, in the meantime. I know of no district which can so well afford to wait or, iv fact, do without them altogether. I have recently visited most of the slaughter-houses in the vicinity of Christchurch. They are all floored with concreto or brick. There is always a plentiful supply of artesian water for flushing purposes, and the Selwyn County Council's Slaughterhouse Inspector, Mr Jarman, keeps up a system of inspection by which-he prevents any accumulation of unhealthy matter, and sees that the premises are periodically cleansed by whitewash or otherwise. The buildings themselves are generally in a dilapidated state, owing to the uncertainty that the owners are kept in with regard to the establishment of public abattoirs, but I am able to say that the condition of these premises does not in any way affect the cleanly slaughtering and dressing of the meat, and if " Citizen " would also visit the slaughterhouses he would, I am sure, be able to testify with mc that there ia an Inspector of Slaughterhouses, and a very good one. With reference to " Citizen's " suggestion that the increase of cincer iv the human being in New Zealand must be due to •- cancerous flesh," I have no hesitation in saying tbat so far as Canterbury is concerned there is no foundation whatever for such a statement, and I challenge "Citizen" to produce even one instance where cancerous meat has been sold to the public. Cancer iv cattle ia au extremely rare disease in this country. We have tuberculosis and actinomycosis, or lumpy jaw, but these diseases have not increased during tbe past ten years, and they are more often found in milch cowa and store cattle thau in fat cattle. Probably "Citizen" is not aware that fully 90 per cent, of the animals from which we derive our meat are bought at Addington Yards every Wednesday, and that these are not only examined by two or three inspectors, but by numerous practical men, who immediately report to an inapector anything that they think wrong. The balance of the butchers' supply is bought from well established graziers, and all butchers' stock travel along the public roads to the slaughter-house ; no butcher now-a-days would risk hiß reputation by having auything to do with a diseased beast if he knew it. My excuse, Sir, for this long letter is that New Zealand having the reputation of being tha healthiest country in the world for stock, which no ono can dispute, such wild and injurious statements as " Citizen's " must not go uncontradicted.—Yours, &c, Reoinald Fostbb. Christchurch, October 15th, 1895.