Women Butchers.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7852, 19 June 1905, Page 2

Women Butchers.

Of all occupations that of butcher seems one of the least suitable for the fair sex ; yet there is at least one dounlry where this trade is entirely monopolised by women, and "no moa need apply." That country is Paraguay, where many occupations which among us arc invariably assumed by the sterner sex fall to the lot of women; 'lite cause of thisl .itate of things is the heroic war waged by Paraguay more than thirty years ago against the overwhelming forces of, Brazil, tho Argentine, Republic, and Uruguay combined. This war, which lasted five years, bore many singular points ol resemblance to the recent Boer War. It ended in tho almost total annihiliation of tho able-bodied male population of the country, and the results may be read in the following figures':—Papulation of Paraguay in, 1857, 1,3»7,439 ; in 1873, three years after the termination of tho war, it amounted to only 221,079, and of these neturly all were women, uhild4 ren,|and aged men. When tho war was over the people had been reduced to tho most abject poverty, and were on the verge of starvation, being driven to such expedients as to eat cats, dogs; and harsos.. Worse still, owing to the destruction of the mate population, perfect anarchy prevailed, and all the work formerly pcrloruiod by males fell on the fair sex. They rebuilt the houses which had been burnod down, tilled the Holds, and wove for thomsolves rough homespun clothing from the cotten grown on their own fields. To this day tlie butchers in all parts of Paraguay are women. In the public, slaughter-houses tho cattle are despatched by men, who sever the spinal Column by cutting it with a sharp cutlass just behind the nape of tho neSqk. When tyve animal falls to tho ground its throat is out, and it is allowed to Ijlleed to death.. This is the only part of the work done, by men. The animal is skinned and otherwise prepared by women. The carcases are then conveyed to the butchers' stalls, where the meat is cut up and sawed by women, who are dexterous in the use of saw and knife. It is then served out to customers, also by women—not generally by weight, but by the piece—and the price is so low that a pound of tho best meat may be bought for. about a penny. Women of all ages act tho part of butchers. Some are iToung and pretty, others old and| wrinkled. The women are great bargainers, and keen as mustard to pull a new arrival almost to pieces in the , hope- of sccurfng his custom.. These women butchers earn good,' wages-, and many ot them in business on their own account acquire u modest fortune. In the larger towns the moat is only allowed to bo sold in the public market-place, where, stall (owned by the municipality) are let at- auction to the highest bidders. The public hare every security that the meat is ' fresh, for all that is left unsold at night is destroyed by the authorities—a needful precaution in a warm climate. The result is that just previous to closing time there is „ s Jba,l re duc. tion in prices, and a crowd of b»r-gann-hunters appear on the sceneeconomical housewives, keepers of cheap restaurants', and the like—for rather than see the meat thrown away or destroyed the keepers o*' the stalls seljl the remnants nt al-i most any price,