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80
In connection with the above-mentioned articles it is the
practice in cases where the retail vendor has unknowingly purchased
articles which are unfit for human food, and when he has
made no attempt to sell them, to grant a certificate which enables
him to claim the return of his money. During 1912 twenty-seven
certificates were granted in respect of the articles shown above.
During 1912 the carcases of 3,351 pigs slaughtered at one
slaughterhouse in the Borough were inspected by the Council's
Meat Inspector. Of this number six diseased whole carcases,
and the heads of 133 pigs which showed slight evidence of incipient
tuberculosis in the neck (pharyngeal glands) were surrendered and
destroyed under the supervision of the Council's Officers.
Owing to the unsatisfactory conditions under which the
slaughtering of the pigs at this slaughterhouse was carried on,
and the consequent difficulty of securing adequate inspection of
the animals both before and after slaughter, representations were
made by the Council at the Session for the annual licensing of
slaughterhouses held by the London County Council. The licensee
was cautioned as to his future conduct of his business, and in order
to afford proper facilities for the inspection of the carcases, he was
required to confine, the hours between which slaughtering was
carried on to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
in winter, and carry out such other reasonable requirements as
would assist the Sanitary Authority in enforcing the by-laws
governing the conduct of his business.
Slaughterhouses.
There are now only three slaughterhouses in the Borough of
Battersea, as against four in 1911, and five in 1910. The passing
of the private slaughterhouse in Battersea is, from the public
health standpoint, a satisfactory state of things. Generally speaking,
such places are structurally ill-adapted for the purposes for
which they are used, and it is consequently a difficult matter for
the officers of the Council to carry out effectively the important
duty of inspecting the meat of animals slaughtered therein. In
other ways as well as has happened within recent years these
premises lent themselves to abuses, and it is matter for congratulation
that there now remain only three of them licensed, in only
one of which is business of any magnitude carried on.
The following is a list of the slaughterhouses licensed in the
Borough of Battersea in 1912:—
345, Battersea Park Road.
205, St. John's Hill.
351, York Road (small animals only).