OFFENSIVE PREMISES.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1922, Page 4

OFFENSIVE PREMISES.

TALLOW-MAKING BUSINESS.

THE OWNER PROSECUTED. PUBLIC HEALTH INVOLVED. What is probably the first* rase in Taranaki under the Public Health Act, 1920, came before the Magistrate’s Court at New Plymouth yesterday. On the information of the health inspector (Mr. F. Swindells) three informations were preferred against Thomas E. Mack, who was charged with allowing certain premises situated in Queen Road (Taranaki County) to become in an offensive state; also that he carried on an offensive trade, namely tallow-mak-ing as to be unnecessarily offensive, and that he allowed his premises to be in a state likely to harbor rats or vermin. Mr. R. H. Quilliam appeared for the informant, and Mr. C. H. Croker for defendant, who entered a formal plea of guilty on all three counts. In giving an outline of the caj»e, Mr. Quilliam said the defendant had a property of ten acres, but it was unsuited for the purposes of tallow-making. The floor of the shed which housed the vats was covered with raw meat and offal, and there were a lot of flies and dirt. Certain offal was evidently fed to the pigs, but on the occasion of the inspection there was a good deal of offal pipped outside the pens. An attempt had been made to bury some in paddocks, but it was given only a light covering of earth and became offensive. Just below the level of the boiling down house was a spring, which gave rise to a creek, and this flowed into a lagoon. The level of the spring was such that it must catch the drainage from the boiling down works, and offal was carried into the lagoon, where it remained.

Probably the most important aspect of the case at the present time was that these premises were likely to harbor rats, added counsel. He pointed out that the authorities in every locality were endeavoring by all the means in i their power to see that rats were exterminated. Mr. Quilliap said he was rot instructed to press for a heavy penalty, but to point out that as this was the first case under the Act in this disi-ict it was respectfully submitted thiu any punishment inflicted should act ns a deterrent,’ Dr. W. R. Wade gave evidence as to inspecting Mack’s property on Saturday last. He did not think the place was suitable, and said it was a pity such a business had been allowed to start there.

In explaining defendant’s position, Mr. Croker said that the inspector had called at a particularly bad time. Being just before Christmas it was a busy period, and Mack was 'at that time without the services of his mam assistant, who had sustained injuries from one of the vats. Mack was anxious to conform with the wishes of the Health Department. His Worship said Mack would be convicted on his own plea. The case would be adjourned for fourteen days in order to enable defendant to make application for a license to the Health Department. The court could then come to a decision.

Mr. Croker suggested that defendant should he allowed more than fourteen days in which to negotiate with the department, but His Worship replied that he could not allow such ft state of affairs to go on for long.