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in the neighbourhood of any such business, and so far as relates to the
carrying on of any such business in the neighbourhood of any public way or
of other buildings of the first or dwelling-house class. That it shall not be
lawful hereafter to erect any buildings of the first or dwelling-house class
nenrer to than fifty feet from any building which shall be in use for any
such offensive or noxious business; but if a building already existing within
fifty feet be hereafter burnt, pulled down, or destroyed by tempest, such
building may be rebuilt; and that it shall not be lawful for any person to
establish or r.ewly carry on any such business, either in any building or
vault, or in the open air, at a less distance than forty feet from any public
way, or than fifty feet from any other such buildings of the first or dwellinghouse
class, and that if any such business be now carried on in any situation
within such distances, then from the expiration of the period of thirty
years next, after the passing of this Act, it shall cease to be lawful to continue
to carry on such business in such situation, save as is hereinafter provided;
and that if any person erect any building in the neighbourhood of
any such business contrary to this Act, then, on conviction thereof before
two justices, he shall forfeit a sum not exceeding fifty pounds, for every
day during which such building shall remain near to such offensive or
noxious business; or if any person establish anew any such business, or
carry on any such business contrary to this Act, then, on conviction
thereof before two justices, such person is hereby made liable to forfeit,
for every day during which such business shall be carried on, a sum not
exceeding fifty pounds, as the justices shall determine, and that it shall be
lawful for the justices also to award to the prosecutor such costs as shall
be deemed reasonable."
There are, however, provisions in the following clause of the
Act for an appeal to justices at Special Sessions, for showing
reasons to suspend any order for abolition, as well as to
suspend orders for parties to adopt within reasonable
time practicable means for preventing nuisances from arising
in future from these businesses.
The 55th clause, which would abolish about four-fifths of the
private slaughter places now in existence, has been looked for
by most of the butchers for some years past, who have had
warning of the change impending. And it is more than
probable that their private interests would have been stimulated
to provide for the new state of things by establishing wellregulated
abattoirs in lieu of the old places, had not an attempt
at unwise legislation last year tended to frustrate their inclinations
to use public abattoirs.
The more intelligent citizens of several of the largest
towns of the kingdom have seen fit to condemn the
present system, after the most deliberate consideration, and
have adopted the more modern system of killing and storing
cattle in abattoirs, in preference to the old slovenly and
obnoxious methods in vogue.
Hitherto annual licenses have been granted by magistrates
under the Metropolitan Local Management Amendment Act,