ABATTOIR FINANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 November 1942, Page 5

ABATTOIR FINANCE

DEFICIENCY IN ACCOUNT HANGING FEES INCREASED. DISCUSSION AT COUNCIL MEETING. The abattoir committee reported to the Masterton Borough Council meeting last night that it had examined further the continuing deficiency in abattoir finance, and with a view to correcting this drift recommended an increase in hanging fees. The committee’s recommendation, which was adopted by the council, provided that steps be taken to increase the hanging fee charges from 2s to 4s per head on cattle and from 6d to 9d per head on sheep and lambs. The chairman of the abattoir committee, Cr. A. D. Low. said that the proposed increase would be felt by ratepayers who were disloyal enough to the Masterton master butchers to go to the freezing works and purchase their meat to the detriment of the abattoirs as well as the butchers.

Cr. C. E. Grey said that he would sooner see the hanging fees go up than the killing fees, as the cost of maintaining the abattoir was becoming greater. Messrs Thos. Borthwick and Sons, Ltd., paid the same hanging fees as the master butchers, and the increase in fees would affect them. While he did not like it, it had to be clone to stop the drift.

Cr. W. Kemp: “Will the butchers' charges for meat be increased? If so, it will be a further inducement for people to go to the works.” Cr. Grey: “The Price Tribunal fixes the retail prices. Our retail prices are fixed, but those of Messrs Thos. Borthwick and Sons, Ltd., are not.” Cr. G. W. Morice: “There is something wrong there.” Cr. Grey said the Price Tribunal fixed the retail but not wholesale prices. Meat which cost the butchers 5d and 6d per lb. cost Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Sons, Ltd., Id or 2d, as on account of slight defects meat could be classed as rejected.