THE INQUIRY ON PORK.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 10

THE INQUIRY ON PORK.

w- ■ .— o IN CITY SHOPS. INSPECTION 4 SAFEGUARDS. A considerable amount of evidence was heard laet evening; by the committee sot up by the AVellington City Council to investigate tho conditions under which tlio slaughtering and inspection of city pork are carried out. Councillors on the committee wc-:ro Messrs. G. Frost (chairman), Jas. Godber, L. M'Kenzio, W. J. Thompson, J. E. I'itzgora.ld, and A. IT. llindnwirsli. Tlio ' city solicitor (Sir.' J. o'Slie.i) was also present. The chairman briefly explained tlio allegations which had been made before tlio council and tho objects of tlio council in setting up the committee. C. J. Rentes, Chief Government Veterinarian, was the first witness, 110 stated that under Hie Act a bona-fido farmer must not send more t.han livo carcasses into the city in one week. For a good many years these carcasses had corn,? "into Wellington, without inspection. Three | years ago, howovor, the had initiated a. siystem by which every dressed carcass known to come into the city was inspected, and t'lic butchers bad given the Jtepartment every assitnnc-:. ■ In tlieeourso of inspection, tlio inspector liad only the throat glands and the other glands which wcto prcßiit. in the carcass to guide him, but ho (witness) quoted figures -with a new to showing that an inspection of tho glands formed a very reliable test.' When the inspection was made "on slaughter" it. waa possible to determine whether the pig was infected to an extent that wonld warrant the condemnation of t'lie entire carcass. Infection very often took place through the mouth, and tlio glands would then perform a natural function and arrest tho tlisaase, so that it l.eoame localised. It might then be necessary to condemn only the head. Witness considered that, inspection, both at the abattoirs and in the city, was adequate. During the past yrtar !)605 dressed carcasses had been examined in New Zealand, and 180 condemned. Ho believed that the system of inspection was as complete as it could be under existing conditions. i "Public Adequately Protected." Tho chairman: -Are the public in your l opinion properly protected under the proSfnt system? < Witness: I think the public are quite adequately protected.. Tlio chairman: Is the inspection of pigs after being dressed as effective as in tho slaughterhouse? Witness: In 90 per cent, of cases. In answer to further questions, tho witness stated that thero was no chance of any oondomned carcasses drifting into sale for human consumption. To Mr. Hindnvarsh: The average of condemned pigs throughout New Zealand was between 11 and 12 per cent. Mr. Hindmarsh: Now I want that taken down. Now you've only found two per cent, of diseased pigs in Wellington? Witness admitted that this was so, but stated that the pigs coming into this city had for. various reasons less chanco i"f contracting disease.

Mr. Hindmarsh: Is there anything to prevent'a farmer from selling a pig dir.?c! to a hotelkeepcr for. consumption in his hotel? Witness; No. Human Beings: Eighty per cent. Tubercular. Mr. Hindmarsh: According to the best statistics two per ccnt. of tubercular j.ips might pass into consumption 5 The witness replied that it was possible. It was, however, a recognised fact that the bulk of human bangs—probably 80 per cent.—were -infected with tuberculosis in some form or other.' Probably tho most of thoso present in the room wero but they were none tho ,worse for it. Mr. JrlveiLzie: If a pig were condemned w-hiat bt-eomes of l its liver and so on? Witness: Well, if the farmer and h?s family liked to eat it they might, but I presume t hat it is thrown, out. Mr. M'Keniio: There's no chance of it being sold? Witness: No. Mr. Fitzgerald: Have the abattoirs in your opinion, fulfilled tho purposes for which they wero erected? Witness replied that they had fulfilled tho conditions of the Act up to the hilt. Effect of Railway Rates. Mr. O'Shea asked if tho railway rates for the carriage of live pigs and dead pigs affected the sending .of dead pigs to the abattoirs? Witness declared that tho question tf railway rates was an important one: Ho admitted that if the Railway Department reduced the rates of live pigs it would affcct the matter to a certain degree.

Lengthy questions were asked the . witness, and several "times members of the

committee,'who had declared they had no more questions, returned to the attack. Eventually, Sir. Keakes stated that' they were getting at cross purposes. Ho had come there simply to state the position in regard to inspection, 'and could do no no more. A Word About Pork Sausages. Inspector A. Carr, of the Agricultural Department, gave evidence as to the inspectioh of poik in the shops in Wellington/city. In answer to questions, he admitted that if a butcher had a pig in the back of his'shop or in the back yard, there was nothing to compel such butcher to report the matter. Butchers, however, had nothing to benefit by selling the p'S s without inspection or by evading the inspector. The butchers were not losers when jiigs were condemned. There was the witness further admitted) no svslem bv which condemned pork cotil(l be detected in pork sausages. When ho condemned a carcass he cut it about, in such a style that it could not be sold as pork. But that would not prevent it being made into sausages.

Evidence was nlso (riven by Inspector Watson. of the City Council staff, as to tho inspection of pork.in the city shops. Expenses at tho Abattoirs. Alec. Moore, whole»alo dealer, stated that he sold most of the pork to tho butchers in "Welliiie-toti, and lie considered that the inspection in the shops was even more risrid that ."I: thi abattoirs for the reason'! given by Mr. I{eak». To Mr. Fitzgerald: He would not send any more pigs to the abattoirs, because tho condemnation, in conjunction with Ihe expenses, was hicher than when tho dead pigs were sent direct into the shops. He was of opinion that the inspection was more rigid at the the abattoirs than at some of the export works. To Mr Hiiulmnrsh: The condemnation was not necessarily higher at the abat- . toirs, but the expense- wa"s—something like is. n pig. Tho condemnation in <ho shops was sometimes high. Jn one lino ho sent to the shops recently 50 per rent, were condemned. Retail Butcher's Opinion, ■Robert s\ei(l, lcprcscnting retail butchers, said that thn-fEfail. butchers, worn of opinion that the present svstem of Government inspection, as carried out at tho present time could not be improved upon. Their only objection to it (if they had any objection at all) was that tho cost of delivery was so high. But. as practical men,. they understood that it would bo a difficult matter to redueo that cost. 1-To explained that if four or live pigs were being brought down from, say. Levin, the truck would cost 255. To the chairman: Tho report ol tho allegations made at the council meeting had xesulled most disastrously foi the butchers, yn far as tho sale of pork was concerned. 'To Mr. Fitzgerald: Tho principal—probably the only—objection thev had to the Act I)L'in lt amended so »s to embraco pigs, would bo Ihe increased of delivery. There would be no objection to the Act being amended if it could be shown that there would be no increased cost on the pork coming into Wellington. Proceedinns Become Lively. ' While being-cross-examined by Mr. lliwtmarsh, the witness remarked he could not «?:' things in the same way as tlifl questioner. "The position is," said the witness, "that Mr. Keakes understands his part of the business just as I understand-mine, but you, apparently, don't, Mr. Himlmarsh." Mr. Tlindmarsh said he, was there to find nut the truth. He did not, like some , of the other councillors, wunt to ask » lot of quciHoiif' with tho objoct cf exonerating tJw butohorSi

Mr. Thompson objected to this reflection cast upon councillors. The chairman asked Mr. Hindmarsh to withdraw the remark.

Sir. IlindinaKh, without actually withstated ho thought that Councillor I'rost was to be commended for tho way he had conducted this inquiry. lho Chairman: You can proceed with your questions, but you must not cast any furthor reflection on councillors. Mr. Thompson remarked that perhaps they might as well leave the whole inquiry to Mr. Hindmarsh if he went on in the same direction.

Mr. O Shea (to witness): Would tho butchers have any objection to it being mado a highly penal oltonoo for selling pork from their shops when it liad not been inspected? Witness: Certainly not. That is what wo want. J. liod, another retail butcher, concurred in the main ill the remarks of tho previous witness. "Funniest Man on tho Face of the Earth." Mr. M'Kenzio was. about to ask tho witness a question, which ho said was perhaps not on the question of tho inquiry. Mr. Fitzgerald: Well, I object, Mr. Chairman. If the question does not concern the inquiry,- why should tho time be taken up with it? Mr. M'lCcnzio: Well, you'-ro the funniest man on the faco of the earth. You've osked a whole'string of questions to lead up to your -policy as a member of tho Abattoirs Comrtiittee, and when I osk a question you want to' block inc. Tho chairman allowed the questions to proceed and the witness, among other things, stated that ho did not think that any butcher in Wellington wonld sell pork that had been condemned. Rejoinder to Mr. Hindmarsh. W. Wolland, retail butcher, who also gave evidence, declared', that in tho pork trade whero the inspection depended to a certain extent on the, butchers themselves, it was more thorough than in the case of veal, where killing at the abattoirs was compulsory. Mr. Hindmarsh asked tho witness if he expected them to believe that a man who had a calf at Miramar would send it to the abattoirs to be killed. Tho witness replied in the affirmative. ■ Mr. Hindmarsh: I know bettor. Witness: Well, why didn't you report it to the..council?, Mr. Hindmarsh: You don't report all things to the council, you know. Witness: You're in duty bound as a councillor to do so. In tho courso of further examination, tlio witness declared that Mr. Hindmarsh did not understand the position, and. that he was confusing pork with bacon. Other Evidence, Evidence was also given by A. E. Preston, and by A. Leigh Hunt. The latter urged the necessity of better railway arrangements for the carriage of pork. Tho way that i dead pigs were brought down to Wellington at tho present time was, ho said, a disgrace to any country. The Department might do something, too, in tho direction of clearing away condemned pork in quicker time than was done at present.

At 10.30 p.m. the evidence was concluded and the sitting of tho committee was adjourned until a date to bo fixed.