ABATTOIRS AT LAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 8

ABATTOIRS AT LAST.

THE PLANS DISCUSSED. AN UP-TO-DATE ESTABLISHMENT. The abattoirs to.be erected by the. Wellington City Corporation, according to plans approved at. Wednesday night's meeting of the Council, will bo situated in tho' Ngahauranga Gorgo, on tho site of tho old slaughterhouse of Messrs. Garrett and Exley. The plans of the City Engineer show a plain, unostentatious building, which, with tho proper accessories, is expected fully to meet tho' requirements of the position. It is claimed that tho abattoirs will be thoroughly up-to-date, and will bo so constructed and arranged as to provide for tho killing arid, dressing of meat under the most sanitary conditions. :

Tho building will bo of brick, with' iron trusses and concrete floors. It will bo well lighted and ventilated, with louvres in tho lantern of tho roof, and movable galvanised iron louvres, as well as windows ill the walls. The accommodation for cattle will include ono ' knocking-down pen, with two sets of .mechanism for hoisting, dressing, and hanging carcasses. Hanging space for tho carcasses of'forty head of cattle will bo provided. There will_ be four, crush' pens for sheep, ;piaces for eight butchers to work, and accommodation for hanging 300 carcasses of sheep. Tho pig slaughterhouse will bo completely furnished' with scalding tubs arid other facilities, aud will have hanging space for .fifty , carcasses. The whole of the slaughterhouses, as'well as tho offal rooms and places for hides,: etc., will be on ono level. Tho buildings will also include offices, stores, rooms for tho employees, and all necessary conveniences. '

, Thero". .will .be a largo verandah on tho front, of. tho, building, giving ample shelter for ■. loading' operations. The . surface of tho gronhd.:adjacent to the : building will bo paved with coiicreto for purposes of cleanliness.: - < -

• THE YARDS. Extensive , covered yards will extend on one side of ' tljo,. abattoirs. For cattle there, five yards large, enough' to afford ample room - for . tho beasts 'waiting to lie slaughtered. - There will bo six yards for sheep, and as : many _ for pigs. All tliese yards will bo floored with concrete and roofed, arid will bo graded and laid' out in such a that'tfioy can easily bo kept clean. Thero will also be extensive drafting yards. Special places will, bo constructed for covered carts to receive; the blood and offal from-tho slaughterhouses. Tho rooms for tho men will include'shower baths, a dressing room with lockers' for clothes,■ and a mess-room. The water supply for .washing down purposes will bo drawn from-tho Ngahauranga creek,- which flows past tho site. Water for other purposes will ■ bo. obtained: from'a well to bo sunk 011 tho property. ; Ihis : water will bo pumped into'a storage tank on tho hillside above the abattoirs.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. The. whole .of- the work will be of a percharacter. It;has been. planned to cope witli inoro than tho requirements of the present-day.- A considerable proportion or the meat-consumed in the city is killed by tho two..export companies -at Ngahaulanga and Petone,. and this will continue to be done.under the same careful inspection as at'pi-esent.' ..The municipal abattoirs will take the -placei of -the numerous comparatively smail slaughterhouses belonging •to butchers, doing business.in various parts of tho city. .Ihe-abattoirs will be able to deal with .about. 400,.head, of stock in one day but it is ' not, oxpected. that the whole of the accommodation vrill be required at once, although the u;ork at public abattoirs-is apt to come m , rushes, owing to tho conditions or the retail trade.;

THE FINANCIAL ASPECT. ~ la , City Council has-referred the matter, to its l'inancial .Committee to go into the question of funds, but it ■ may here bo recalled thafc the Council, nearly a year ago passed a . resolution to' borrow £15,000 for the purpose of acquiring a site and building abattoirs tliore'on. At a special meeting on September 12,1907, it was resolved to strike a special rate of one-fiftieth of a penny in tho pound for the purpose of providing: interest and sinking fund.on this loan, The proceedings , which have now arrived so near finality, have -been before 1 tho,Council for ! a ,considerable; time. It. was as lone ago\ as March 1, 1907, that a Special Committee reported to the Council that it had visited several.sites with a view to selecting one for an'abattoir. The ;Council, as recommended bvUe Committee, decided .thatitholand, bmlding3, and • machinery owned bv Messrs.;. Garrott- and 15xloy, between Ngahauranga and Johnsonyille> be acquired for tho purpose at a cost of £3700. Attached to tho report was the following estimate of the number of - cattle,. etc., which would, be killed at the. abattoirs. .. Cattle, 17,310, at 2s. ... ... £1731 12 0 Sheep, 151,580,• at 4d.... ' ... • 2526 6 8 Calves, 5200,' it ,Is. '260 .0 0 „. , ' £4517 18 8 Ihe annual oxpendituro was estimated as follows:— . , ' Interest. on .cost' of land, • buildings,' ' ' r '®to. (£14,000), at 5 p.c: £700 Manager arid.inspector ... ... .... 300 Maintenance' ... . . ggQ Sinking , fund,';.' 2 p.c! ... . 280 h ' . . : V\ .£ISBO Estimated profit per annum, £2937 18s. Bd. The report also ■ stated: —" There are at present 17 - abattoirs :in;the Dominion, and with one exception the prices, proposed -to be charged for the use of the abattoir are tho cheapest lii the Dominion."