INSPECTION OF BACON FACTORIES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 30 July 1910, Page 8

INSPECTION OF BACON FACTORIES.

;• 'EXTENSION ;OF ACT REQUESTED. ■'': ■■■■ A.nutter concerning the inspection of ;:. pigs was before the Minister for Agri- : culture, Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, yesterday afternoon. The subject v/as brought up by a deputation consisting of .Messrs. Hugh Wilson (manager for .'■';■: -Messrs. Dimock and Co.) and S. C. .'" . Barron -(proprietor of the Carterton '.'Bacon Factory). Messrs.' R'. A. ',Wright'(Wellington South) and W. C. Buchanan (Wairarapa), M.'P.'s, accompanied the. deputation. Mr.-Wright, who introduced the de- -.' vputation, said that .they represented " : " v certain bacon factories in the North Is- . land,/and wished to bring under the .-■'.-; notice tho'fact that, while '■■•,' some bacon factories were being well .inspected-in regard to their bacon, a .'• number of-.others wero not being in-.-/inspected/ '■' '»'■':'■■ 'Mr. (Wilson said the trouble was mi ', old one. He considered that tlio M-.i ---. 'should- beamended so that all bacon ft-factories wqnld be inspected. It was -.';'■': very, ■'■unfair that the bacon from m:rr • spected factories was worth no more ■■■':.. to-day .than bacon which had not been ": inspected. . There were a couplo of ./factories'in: the North Island under and about four in the Do- ''-■ minion./ / ■ -■\-:;',The/ Minister:' "How many-are get:;.'ting pigs;killed at abattoirs,?" :.-' - ; '' The.': Deputation: "Three or four." . /'/The/Minister':. "Well, there are prac- '.' iically:-twenty without inspection." '.-" ..'Mr. Reakes:.-"So]ne of them pretty ■■',-': smalLbnes."; . , . ■ '-". . The ■ Minister remarked that it : - ; .'. Would not be feasible to have an inspec- .':.'■ tor at small factories, to wliich the dc-.-/-■iputation replied that it should be sufficient. for the inspector to attend the ';■' small factories, say,, once a week, I 'as ■.-"■' most of them.only killed once of twice . .weekly. : / It was stated by the deputation that ■ 'a lot of diseased stuff was going into /'• consumption from some districts. •; / Pasteurisation of By-products. V.. Tlie: Minister said that the question ■'.'-was-a very serious olio, and .the Do- ■;■":■ .partinent'had--tried various ways to ■ meet 'it,, the .most promising of which ."-, was'tie pasteurisation of skim milk ■• and .whey... . The matter was giving th'cni all a great-deal of thought. The / farmere' were, doing all they could to . further'sterilising arrangements. ' '■ ■'; Mr/; Wilson-"referred to the oxpori trade,, and "said that some of the ex- ...-;. porters- might -close down if conditions- ■■', were not improved. /'The Minister: "But don't you buy on a guarantee?" / -■ ' ' -/"N0."./; ■;'..■ ■.-.•■■.". Mr. Mackenzie stated that they had hail a good ..many- quiet conferences ■ 'with; dairying-and farming people, and .-'■ all. were now'working together to, get '/pasteurisers installed in the dairy fac- . tdries-(for.,the sterilisation of skim - milk), as fast; as they.could. ■ Through -pasteurising.-the. percentage of .pigs condemned had. been Jreduced in some instances to .five per cent.. - ~.-/ ■■'; ■Mr.-Roaies.gavo an instance where . 'the.' percentage.condemned had been as '.--'. liighi'as,.' one hundred, and in. three or ' . . four,months pasteurisation had reduced ,'■• .'it.to/iiili.,•-.;.- .■ •''; ' -> Mr;- Buchanan asked if there was ./ .anydifference in the situation now and ■/'some years ago, when tho matter was .discussed'in the. House.'.'-■ '

Mr. R-eakes answered, that the diffi•culty .'of getting' inspection for the small ;irian.ivas as much a fact' now as then., , '■';';'.'■ ■ ' , '. ' ~ Mr.''-Buchanan then referred to. the case of the country butcher, and. asked how he was,going to bo brought under inspection. "You have got to go slow," he-continued, .''"and no, doubt one'.important step has been taken—, namely; pasteurisation." : Mr. Barron asked what would be tho position if the bacon-curers were to say they, would stop exporting. . The .Minister: "You would not be so foolish/as that."' •:, Mr. .'Barron: "If there had not been .'an expprt;'trade the price would have ■ been .down to. two and a half-pence per pound 1 ." ■" ' .; ■.■•■■ i ■'; Tte,- Minister said , that he would bring the matter under the notice of Cabinet, .and the deputation could take it .from-him that the Government was ■not overlooking it.