View report page

1903]
230
INSPECTOR WILKINSON'S REPORT.
Public Health Department,
Town Hall,
Upper Street, N.
March 10th, 1904.
To A. E. Harris, Esq.,
Medical Officer of Health.
Dear Sir,
I have much pleasure in submitting my second annual report, being a report for the
year 1903 on the inspection of slaughterhouses, cowhouses, offensive trade establishments,
butchers' shops, fish shops, etc., etc.
There were at the commencement of the year 42 slaughter-houses within the Borough, one of
which was demolished on expiration of the lease at the rear of 21, Seven Sisters' Road, and at
the Annual Licensing Meeting of the London County Council in October last an objection was
made to the renewal of licence at 64, Benwell Road, by the London County Council's inspector,
on the ground that no slaughtering had been carried on for a period of nine
months last passed; in the absence of the applicant or any representative, the objection was
sustained and the renewal refused. The number of licensed slaughter-houses being now reduced
to 40.
The total number of visits to these establishments during the year was 2,414, and generally
speaking they have been well kept and conducted. In half a dozen instances cautions have
been given for allowing blood to enter the drain contrary to the by-laws; in one instance a
choked drain was found inside a slaughter-house, but on service of an intimation notice the
defect was remedied within two days. I have also during the year reported that a horse was
being stabled in a sheep pen within a slaughter-house, contrary to the provisions of the by-laws,
and in the event of a friendly warning not being effectual the Public Health Committee ordered
a prosecution, and two summonses were taken out against the licensee at the North London
Police Court, but owing to the fact that the defendant lived in Cambridgeshire and denied all
knowledge of the offences, or that the horse was his property, Mr. Fordham dismissed the cases
without costs and granted summonses against the manager, who was the actual offender. On
the cases being subsequently brought before Mr. Mead at the same Court, he refused to convict
on the ground that the present defendant was not the licensee, and again the summonses were
dismissed without costs.
The number of animals slaughtered at the whole of these slaughterhouses during the year
was as follows:—
Oxen. Cows. Calves. Sheep and Lambs. Pigs. Total.
2,445 173 141 38,090 46 40,895
These figures are obtained through the courtesy and kindness of the individual occupiers
from time to time, in nearly every case supplied weekly.