Sunday Working in the Mines

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 271, 21 May 1897, Page 2

Sunday Working in the Mines

(Per Press Association) '■ Accklaud, May 20. At a meeting of the Chamber of Coin- 1 ruerce, the Chairman disputed the imount of work alleged to be done on / Sunday in the Upper Thames mines. ; s He said that at ihs Waihi mine out of j e 300 men only 14 wero employed. It the ) s saltery was shut down it would mean j •nin to a portion of the cyanide in the < >Tit9. At the Waittkiuri and Woodstock ! a nines (ho pumps hud to be kept going. ! a lie said there was no reason for saying ! 'J hat the uieu were employed on undo | s ;rouud work OU Sunday. 1

Caucer and Consumption NECESSITY FOR THK INSPECTION OF MEAT. For some timi> past a good deal of ittcntiou lias been devoted to the increase of cousumptioD and cancer, especially the latter, in this colouy, and nmuy tut dic.il men have expressed tlie apiuiou that unless preventive measures xra promptly taken to safeguard the life and health of ihe people from these dread diseases, the consequences will be serious. Many causes are ascribed j for the rapid ruauncr iu which both j both diseases have spread, but while j opinions on this hoad differ, it is generally admitted that it is absolutely neces sary, in the interests of the health of . the public, that meat should be in- i spected both before aud after killing, i Recently a represent] ve of this journal j had an interview with Mr W. R. Snow- i ball, M.R.C.V.S., who had been appointed inspector of the public abattoirs erected by the Duuediu City Council for the purpose of ensuring the supply ot wholesome meat to the inhabitants of that city. Mr Snowball attended the ! Royal Veterinary College of London, | where ho graduated, and for four years j was assis.aut iuspector for food for the ] City of Abi rdiun ; so that be cau speak with pomo authority on the subject. '•Have you paid any particular atlen tion to the supply of this colony ?" was asked. " Yes," was tlio response. " I havo given the matter a good deal of attention and without in nny way wisliiujr to alnrm people, I must s>iy tli-st if they only knew what was at tiiues supplied to them by retailers (quite unintentionally I admit, because butchers nre not veterinary surgeon.-) where the meat for public consumption is killed under the super intender.ee of an expert whoso tniming enables him to detect and reject all di» scaspd meat. My experience of the cities (I do not refer to any place in particular) of New Zealand is that the quality of some of tho meat supplied - especially mutton -is of the very poorest, innutritions, and, in many cases, diseased, and not fit for human consumption ; and the health of the public dtmmids that some means fhould be adopted so that consumers may hsve some guarantee that the meat detailed to them ia entirely free from disease.,, " Do your remarks in this connection spply only to mutton?" " Decidedly not. They have a general application to all meat purchased fir lmu'nn consumption. Referring specially to bet-f, I may ta.y that tub?rcolosis (conBuui[it on) is highly preynlent, and it behoves the people of New Zealand lo give tho matter eveiy serious consideration, and n?k ihomselvfcs whether it is advisable to run these risks when the preventive measures are co easy and efficient? Dairy stock should also receive special attention, for milk from a cow affected by tubercle is perhaps more dongerons than the flesh ; nnd if we are to preserve our heuMi it will be necessary that dairy stock should bo inspected from time to time." " You have referred to tnbercolosia in cattle, nnd the danger of Rproading consumption by retailing to tbe public the meat of animals so affected. Do your re marks apply also to cancer ?" " Well, my experience has been that caucer, thongh increasing to an alarming extent, is not so prevalent in cattle. Actinomycosis (known also as lumpy jaw) is frequently to be met with in the cuttle, and the uninitiated sometimes mistake this for cancer, bnt it has been proved beyond a doubt that actinomycosis is a differeut disease. But don't conclude from my remarks that cancer is seldom seen. I say that cancer is not so prevalent in cattle as tnbprculosis, but there are plenty cf cancerous cattle, aDd in mauy instances cancerous meat has been purchased from butchers and consumed." " And what do you suggest as a remedy ? " queried our reporter. " Tbe establishment of public abattoirs in every city in New Zealand. If the public could only bo made to take the interest in this important matter tbat its bearing upon the health of the iuhab itants demands ; if they could but realise that disease and death are being spread about by tbe consumption of meat totally unfit to be used as food for human beings, it would be a good thing for New Zealand and her people. A mistaken idea prevails that abattoirs are detrimental to the slaugbteryard proprietors and to the butchers. The slaughterman's work would not be interfered with ; the butchers' business would be improved. AH that is desired is tbat municipal bodies erect suitable buildings for the killing of meat for human consumption to take the place of the dirty shambles at present in use, the meat to be inspected both before and after killing by officers whose training renders them competent to detect aud reject diseased animals." " What would the erection of suitable sbattoirs cost, aud could they be made self-supporting ? ' was asked. " The cost of erecting a suitable building, and one similar to that now being erected by tho Dunedin City Council — would bo JE7OOO. I have not the slightest doubt that in cities containing 40,000 people abattoirs could be made entirely self-supporting. If tlie public only recognise the importance of the matter the erection of abattoirs becomes easy. Tbis question is receiving a good deal of attention in other cities besides Dunedin. In Welliugton the matter has been engaging serious attention, and many appear to think that it will not be long before abattoirs are established there."— Auckland Weekly