WELLINGTON MEAT TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8128, 7 June 1906, Page 2

WELLINGTON MEAT TRADE.

horeible allegations.

FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION. Weiiinotox, June 6. Mr F. G. Moore, a member of the Hospital Trustees, who has moved in the direction of urging the Premier to set up a commission for the purpoie , of investigating the nature of the souroes of supply and methods of purveyors of meat to the city, interviewed by a "Times" reporter, made some startling disclosures, Mr Moore declares he had been connected with the meal trade for a quarter of a century, and saya that perhaps one beast in a thousand was condemned at private slaughterhouses, whereas the proportion of deceased animals was perhaps six or seven per o ent. The effects of such methods were far reaching, he says, and in his opinion the genesis of the. rapid increase of consumption, This is due to lax inspection, aid the evil was not confined to private slaughterhouses, but existed to a great extent in big meat works He says it is not generally known that the meat companies paid the salaries of 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 asserted he could produce evidence to show that Mr Gilruth, Chief Government Veterinarian, had condemned an animal after being passed as sound by a resident inspector, and alleges that there were cases in plenty were inspectors had been known to accept 1 bribes for passing cattle that should have been condemned.

Mr Moore says that he has not been . connected with the minor workings of j the meat factories for some time, but > , within ten years had soon on several , occasions unborn calves taken from the j carcases of dead and sometimes diseased cattle, and used as sausages, j Ho farther declared that a large per centage of pigs were diseased, and. if too poor in condition for the market wore converted into sausages. As a remedy hj& suggests < the public should stand in with the . Government in making good the loss , occasioned to farmers by having animals F condemned as diseased. It was solely , fear of loss that led to the corruption i that existed, and that must be deleted j beforo thoy could ho.w for better things,

A fresh horror submitted by. Mr Moore was that when tho hides of cattle and polts of sheep were lent to thotannnory the "fleshings" (small pieces of fat adhering to them) were scraped off, and seat to certain works in Wellington to be treated chemically (by whioh all impurities were bleached white), and sold as pure fat to local biscuit makers. To a large extent, he says, the City Corporation is to blame for not establishing municipal abattoirs.

MB MOOBE'S STATEMENTS CHALLENGED. Wellinqtok, Jane 6. The " P«t" to-night publishes the results of surprise visits to local slaughterhouses. It was found that the large export houses were all that could be desired, hut the smaller slaughterhouses could bo improved. The same paper publishes interviews with the managers of looal meat com. *■ panies and with Mr BeakSs, Assistant Chief Veterinarian, who challenge Mr Moore's allegations, and invito the fullest inquiry.

EXAGGEBATED ALLEGATIONS. INSPECTION OP PRIVATE ABATTOIBS NEEDED. Wellington, June 8. With refercnoo to the attacks on the meat supply of the city, a "Post" representative made investigations today, and the paper says that altogether, sufficient information was gathered to assure the city that though the two large meat companies xtanot be reproached for any laxity, the the smaller concerns are not without fault, whioh point to the need of a publio abattoirs. At the Gear Meat Works everything was scrupulously clean, and the system of inspection appoarcd to be complete. A couple of officers are employed, and no meat can be exported or sent out for local eonsumption without bearing the Government tag or brand. To defeat the inspector would involve an intricate process of deception, whi"h would seom to be quite impracticable in the face of the good reputation of the company. The same conditions prevail at the

Wellington Meat Export Company's Works, and the Government inspection >s rigid. The examination ot prirete slaughter-houses goes to prove that municipal abattoirs would be of advantage, as it would secure better inspectioa of meat by Gorernment officials. As to "stamping" of meat, it upointed out that this merely.indioatea that the meat was killed at a licensed slaughter uouso, but is no guarantee that a beast " "J 110 'diseased before ibeing killed. Mr Beakes, assistant Chief VeteriWte t' lo Government, replying to ur Moore's charges of corruption in connection with the inspection of meat says, "These arc very serious stateuicnts, and so far as my knowledge goos, they are absolutely untrue. If iiy officer of the Department engaged ' inspection of moat was known to ■ ept a bribe for passing for human isumplion, either within or without

0 ii' I'nltiny, meat which should bo conf downed, he would bo instantly di». 11 I ? 1SS6 ~ 1 from the servioe. Naturally .) 0 officers implicated by these, usere tions will now ask that steps be taken s lo ascortain whether there is any ground for them, but I have every . confidence in tho probity of the inspec- 3 s tonal staff, and feci certain that Mr ) Moore is either misinformed, or is . laboring under a delusion. Moreover it scorns to mo a direct libel on the meat companies to assert that they would bo guilty of offering bribes for suoh a purpose. My experience of" these oompanies is that they have every desire to ensure that only healthy meat be supplied to the publio both here and abroad. Mr Moore further states that the salaries of the inspec. tors arc paid by the companies. This is totally untrue. The salaries of all meat inspectors are paid by the Government from the Consolidated Fund, 1 unrL, are du!y shown on the Estimates m.« ° ' mr ' :,nen t of Agriculture, in sai "° wa 7 as do tho controlling 'orities of city or borough abattoirs. p companies simply pay inspection fees to the Government is provided by r«a U At" thC S,aU,(htenngand Messrs Millward and Sladden, the spective secretaries of the Gear Meat •iml the Wellington Meat Export support Mr Keakes that Mr Moore s allegations are absurd, and soll <"t.the closest inspection of thn m- 'm, by . tlw Government or « twF r. 10 ' inspection, they jay, V tho Government inspectors is a Tory thorough one. '

™, urn . of the , B 'ock condemned luung the six months from December IfiA ( 1 1 ? clu !j ve )' Prepared in the office of the Gear Meat Company, shows that tho condemnations (for all r n '!f A ™ r ° m to,lowin 8 Proportions: Cows, 6-67 per cent, oxen l-10per cent, s i cep -0015 per cent, lambs -0072 per cent.

At the Wellington Meat Co.'s works tho condemnations for the last five months averaged i Oxen '9 per cent, cows about i per cent. Wellington, June 6. Tho Acting-Premier says ho would not tako 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 tho suggestion that they had boen guilty of reoeiv. ing bribes, Whatever might be the caso in regard to looal slaughter-house*, which are not inspected by the (Werw immt, ho resented any imputations being cast upon so important an inj dubtry as the meat industrj, WitJj

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regard to what had been mid about slovenly inspection, Mr Hall-Join.-pointed out tliat it might have referred to what tapped some years ago. I was only since 1900 that compulsory inspection of meat works had been brought into force. Prior to that. Tim ■ ft was optional with a company to have an inspector or not. As to inspectors bein? paid by the companies, the Acting-Premier pointed out tha! they were appointed b) the Government and their salaries wore pai l direct by the Department. All thai the companies did was to pay the feeon stock killed at their .vorks Thos fees were not paid to the inspectors, but were collected by the Government. Asked as to whether lie thought» Royal Commission was necesury, tlie Acting-Premier said, " We have no information before u< that in the degree suggests the desirability of uu.v commission or enquiry into the matter of inspection of meat works which are under the control of the Government." He added that he believed the Inspectors were men of honor, who realised thi ir responsibilities, and carried out their duties satisfactorily. I'hat could be proved by the Agricultural reports issued each year.in which were published the numbers of stcek condemned throughout the colony, as being unfit for consumption.