The Dunedin Abattoirs.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 102, 29 January 1901, Page 3

The Dunedin Abattoirs.

[Bv Our Special Reporter.] The Dune-lin Abattoirs are .situated at Caver,sham, distant about three miles from the city, and were the first of any size to be erected by a Coloration in New Zealand. V representative of this journal paid a visit of inspection last week, and in view of the active interest now being taken in this district in matters connected with the slaugtering of cattle and slaughter-houses generally, his report will be read with interest.

Outside, the usual yards, races, etc,, pretaining to such a building, am in a perfect state of order and cleanliness. Indeed, throughout, this latter quality was everywhere apparent. The killing and dressing pens are ou either side of the building, large double doors allowing the batchers’ conveyances access inside to remove tho carcases, the pons all being about three font from the ground, so that no lifting up is required. The slaughtering pens are divided i ito two compartments. In the 1 first on entering from the yards the animal is killed and bled, the blood running in a channel into an iron tank outside. By means of blocks and pulleys the carcase is taken into the next compartment where it is dressed. The head and hide are thrown into a shoot in the floor fitted with a trap door, which allows them to fall into a truck underneath. The truck runs on ,a tramway to a concrete tank outside where it is emptied. The paunch and entrails find their way by like means to a similar tank. The liver and lights are hung up for inspection, and when the carcase has been passed by the inspector it is stamped and allowed to be taken away. The removal of the carcase is greatly facilitated by the pulleys, as the carcase is ran right oat to ths butcher’s van. The blood:,

hides, paunches, etc., are conveyed to Messrs Kernpi borne, Prosser and Company’s chemical and manure works, wirch ara situated about a quarter of a mile away, and utilised in the manufacture of the products of the works. The pig pens are so constructed that One top of the hath is on a level with the’killing pen, thus doing away wi h any undue lifting of the carcase. The r is heated by ueans of steam pipes, another neat improvement. So far with regard to the actual

rilling of the animal. Tim next department to be comderml is the efforts taken to ensure perfect .doaidiness, drainage, etc. The pens ir« boused regularly with wo. tor :rom the Dunedin reservoir, having a pres-ure of 19‘)ib*» per st] rare mc.h. In the gable aKo are three m.ivro tanks iniiO vvijtoil milling Wali'.r

p m ed ov-. ry dry, the wator being then a’lowed to How all over die walls and floor of the ahatto’irs. V 25 h.u. holier is used tor heating the water, boon before and aider use, and the offal. In bui.dmg the abattoirs most ot the partitions of the pens, etc., w-n’o m hi of trick and concrete, but ■ his was found to oxdn :•-> too much light and air, so many were pulled down, iron gratings being sub-

stitutod with excellent results. 01 course, small mistakes as there tiro only found out by experience, and taking into consid.•radon that those won the first abattoirs of any size built in the colony, the number of errors has been very small indeed, but most of them are now rectified. One pom 1 :, and that of the greatest importance) too. however, was overlooked. That was the dr .’lining ol the used water and offal. At present this flows into the Kaikorai (‘r ■k. and notwithstanding Mm foot that it is well boiled before leaving the abattoirs, it is only natural that the residents who look for a snp’dy of wiser from the erhek --and they arc nor few in number— bjoct. It is very probable that the authorities will shortly have to lay down piping to Lake the water to the sea. As the manure works of Messrs. Kompthome, Prosser it Co. are in the same predicament, they will probably act in conjunction.

In the labaratory are seen sonm portions of animals suitering from various diseases, slaughtered at the abattoirs, in cattle, tuberclosis is the disease most met with, bub cases of actinomycrosis, or as it is familiarly known, “lumpy jaw,” are not uncommon. The tissues and bones o: beasts in various stages of these diseases, that have been brought to be killed for human consumption, give a good idea of the value of such an institution. Pigs seem to be mostly aiiliuted with the presence of small worms, which live in cells in the liver and fat. Scon through a microscope they are truly appalling. Some have been found upwards of an inch i.n length. The labaratoryjisfitted with an incubator for maturing microbes, and whole colonies of worms, etc., are to bo seen reared by thismeans, whereby some very interesting and enlightening experiments are made. (To be Continued.)