MEAT HORRORS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1767, 7 June 1906, Page 2

MEAT HORRORS.

By telegraph, Pious Aid'd, Copyright

New York, Judc 5. The New York Times says the sure way lo make the present lobb in the export trade of meets permanent is to palter with the Inspection Bill now be'ore Cingtess.

ALLEGATIONS AND DENIALS.

(Per Press Association.)

Wellington, last night. _ ! Mr F. T. Moore, member of the Hospital Trustees, who has moved in the direction of urging the Premier to sot up a oommiseicn for the purpose of investigating the nature of the sources of supply and methods of purveyors of meat to the city, interviewed by a Timos reporter, made some etirtling disclosures. Mr Moore deolateß be has been oonneoted with the m at trade for a quarter of a century, and says that perhaps one beast in a thousand was condemned at private slaughterhouses, whereas the proportion of dieeased animals was perhaps 6 or 7 percent.. The effeot of suoh methods were far reaching, he says, and in his opinion the genesis of the rapid increase of consumption is due to lax in speotion. The evil is not oonfined to private slaughterhouses, but existed to a great extent in big meat works. He Bays it is not generally known that the meat companies paid the salaries of the .resident Government inspectors. They paid it to the Government, who in turn paid the men. The inspectors knew this, and felt they were in the service of the company. He asscricd he oould prodnoe evidence to show that Mr Gilrntb, Chief Government Yeterina iao, had oondemned an animal after beiDg passed as sonnd by the resident inspector, and alleges there were cases in plenty whore inepeotora bal b:en known to aco'pi bribes for passing cattle that should be condemned.

Mr Mooro eays ho has not been connected with the inner workings of a meat factory for some time, but within ten years he has seen on several occasion unborn oalves taken from oaroases of dead and sometimes diseased cattle and used as sausages.. He further deolared that a large percentage of pigs were diseased, and if too poor in conditiou for market were converted into sausages. As a remedy he suggests the publo should stand in with the Government in making good the loss oooasiontd to farmers by having animals oondemned as diseased. It was solely the fear of loss that led to the corruption that existed, and that must bo deleted before they could hope for belter thiugs. A fresh horror submitted by Mr Moore was that when the hides of cattle and pelts of sheep were sent to a tannery, the " fleshings ” (small pieoes of fat adhering to them) were soraped off and sent to oertain works in Wellington to be treated ohemioally (by which all impurities we.o blcaohed white) and sold as pure fa", to I real bieouit makers. To a large extent, he says, the oily 00-porafiop ere to Llame fer not establishing municipal abattoir'. The Post to-night publishes results of surprise visits to local slaughterhouses. It was found that the large export houses were all that could be de-ired but smaller slaughterhouses oould be improved. The same paper publishes an interview with the managers of local meat companies, and with Mr Reakes, assistant ohief veterinarian, who ohalleogfs Mr Moore’s allegations and invites the fullest irquiry,

MOORE’S SVILD CHARGES.

THE ACTING-PREMIER’S REPLY,

(Per Press Association.) Wellington, last nighl

The Acting-Premier says he would not take Moore’s charges seriously. A most unjustifiable reflection had been cast upon a large body of men who were engaged as Inspectors of stock, and he resented the suggestion that they had been guilty of receiving bribes. Whatever might be the case in regard to local slaughterhouses which are not inspected by Government, he resented any imputation being cast upon so important an industry as the meat industry. With regard to what had been said about slovenly inspection, Mr HallJones pointed out that it might have referred. to what happened some -years ago. It was only since 1900 that compulsory inspection of meat works had been brought into force. Prior to that time it was optional with the company to have an inspector or not.

As to inspectors being paid by companies," the Acting-Premier pointed out that they were appointed by Government, and their salaries were voted by Parliament, and they were paid direct by the Department. All that the companies did was to pay fees on stock killed at their works. Those fees were not paid to inspectors, but collected by the Department.

Asked as to whether he thought a Royal Commission necessary, the ActingPremier said, “ We have no information before us that would in the slightest degree suggest the desirability of any Commission of enquiry into the matter of inspection of moat works which are under the control of Government.”

He added that he believed the inspectors were men of honor, who realised their responsibilities and carried out their duties satisfactorily. That could be proved by the agricultural reports issued each year, in which were published the numbers of stock condemned throughout the colony as being unfit for consumption. •

FURTHER INFORMATION.

THE POST’S ENQUIRIES.

(Per Press Annotation.) Wellington, last, night. With referenoe to the attacks on the meat supply of ihe cifcy, Post representslives made investigation to day, and the paper says that altogether sufficient information was gathered to assure the city that though the two large meat companies cannot b) reproached for any laxity, the smaller conoerns are not without faults, wir’oh point to the need of. a public abattoir. At the G-iar meat works everything was sorupnlously clean. The system of I inspection appeared to be oomplete. A oouplo of offioers ate employed, and no meat can be exported or sent oat for local consumption without bearing the Government tag or brand. To defeat the inepeb- [ tor would iovolve an intricate process of deoeption whioh would aoem quiterimpraoticable in the faoe of the good reputation of the company. The fame conditions prevail at the Wellington Meat Export Company's works, and the Government inspection is rigid. Examination of private slaughterhouses goes to prove .that, municipal- abattoirs would be an advantage, as they would secure better inspection of meat by Government officials.

Then as to the stamping of meat, it ii pointed out that this merely indicates that the meat was killed at licensed slaughter houses, but is no guarantee that the beast was not diseased before killed.

MR RE4KE3’ EEPLy. Mr Reakes, assielant-ohief veterinary for the Government, replying to Mr Moore’s oharges of corruption in eonnec-

I tion with the inspeoticn of meht, saye; " These are very serious statements, and eo far as my knowledge goes they are absolutely untrue If any officer of the I Department engaged in inspection of meat were kuown to eepept a brihe for passing I for human consumption either within or I without the oolony meat which should be I condemned, he would be instantly dismissed from the service. Naturally officers implicated by these assertions will now I a-k that steps be taken to ascertain I whether there is any grourid for them, but I have every confHenoe in the-probity of the Inspectorial staff and feel certain that Mr Moore is either misinformed or is laboring under a delueioD. Moreover, it srems to me a direct libel on the meat companies to assert, that; t rey would be guilty of offering bribes for such purposes. My experience of these companies is that they have every do-ire. to eDßure that ooly healiby meat bo supplied to the public both hero arid abroad; Mr Moore further state 1 that sal tries., of the inspectors are paid by tbo companies.. Tois is totally untrue. The salaries of all meat inspectors aro pail by-Government from the Consolidated Fund, and are duly shown on the estimates of tho Depasttuoat of

Agriculture in the Bame way as do the controlling authorities of oity or borough abattoirs. The companies simply pay inspection fees to Government, as provided by regulation under the Slaughtering and Inspection Act. MR REAKES’ STATEMENTS SUPPORTED.

Messrs Milliard and SladdeD, respective secretaries of the Gear Meat and Wellington Meat Export Companies, .support Mr Reakes that Moore’s allegations ore absurd, and they eolioit the olosesl inspection of tbeir faotorits by the Government or pubiic. Tho inspection, they say, by Government inspectors is a very thorough one. A teturn of stock con* demned during the six months from December to May inclußivp prepared io tho offioe of tho Gear Meet Company shows that the condemnations (foe all causes) were in the following proportions Cows, 667 per bent; oxen, ITO per oent; sheep, •0045 per oent; lambs, -0072 per oent. For five montha at the Wellington Meal Oompaoy’s wotks the condemnations for the last five months averaged: Oxen,'9 per cent; cows, about 4 per cent.