CARE OF ANIMALS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1746, 10 May 1913, Page 6

CARE OF ANIMALS.

DEPUTATION TO THE PKIHE MINISTER. Delegates from the S.P.C.A. conference, ■which has lately been sitting in Wellington, waited yesterday as a deputation 'upon the Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister) to ask for a subsidy in aid of the work in which the societies are engaged, and for various amendments to tho laws relating to tho treatment of animals. The members of the deputation included Mr. R. IT. Webb (Wellington), Colonel Porter (Gisborne), Mr. J. H. Parlcer (Canterbury), and Mrs. .Christie. Mr. C. J. Beakes (Chief Government Veterinarian) was present. One proposal advanced by the deputation was that a new method of slaughteringvshould be adopted. The method in vogue, so far as horned cattle are concerned, is to pith the animals with-a spear. Where this method is employed an inexpert slaughterman sometimes inflicts unnecessary pain upon tho animals ho is employed to kill, and the members of tho deputation represented that a better method was to stun tho animals with a seven-pound hammer, and that this method should be generally introduced. It was also stated that tho use of targe open pens led to the infliction of unnecessary suffering, and that tho uso of crushpen's should be insisted upon. The uso of small pens, and tho method of stunning tho beasts, it was stated, wero both in voguo in tho great killing-yards of Chicago. Mr. Reakes explained tho different methods of slaughtering in detail, .and stated that where new abattoirs were constructed his Department always recommended tno uso of crush-pens and tlie adoption of the stunning method in slaughtering cattle. Tho Prime Minister expressed his sympathy with the request of !V deputation. Another-request advanced was that, the laying of poison should bo made illegal, as it sometimes led to tlur death of (logs and other animals for whom tho poison was not intended. The Prime Minister stated that the law which was asked for already existed. Tt was legal to lay poison for rabbits in country districts, but the laying of poison in thoncighbourhood of centres of population was illegal. Ho promised to look into the matter and ascertain whether the law was being enforced. As to tho request for a subsidy, tho Prime Minister said that he conld not entertain the request to subsidise each of the dozens of societies which existed in the Dominion—there wasonem nearly every important centre of population—but that if the societies formed one central Dominion executive the request nf that body for a subsidy would be considered.