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9
houses within the metropolitan district. Now the entire removal of all the
private slaughter-houses will undoubtedly be attended with many inconveniences,
and these can only be met by the establishment of public
abattoirs within easy distance of one another, in addition to the central
abattoirs at present provided at the Metropolitan Market and elsewhere.
Failing this, a wise course would be a more stringent application of the
powers under which slaughter-houses are now licensed. At present all new
slaughter-houses are required to be 40 feet from a public way, and 50 feet
from a dwelling house; but old established slaughter-houses need not be at any
specified distance from either a public way or dwelling-house. All slaughterhouses
should in any future legislation be required to be at the above
distances from public ways and dwelling-houses respectively. They should
be properly constructed, well ventilated, well supplied with water, properly
drained, the walls lined with glazed tiles, slate, or zinc, and they should
have an impermeable floor of asphalt. Such a slaughter-house would be a
great convenience to a district, and entail little more nuisance than a
butcher's shop.
It is asserted that the construction of such places, and especially the
doing away with the present, in many instances, unsuitable slaughter-houses,
would be a virtual confiscation of the property of the occupiers of existing
slaughter-houses. I venture to demur to this argument. All the present
slaughter-houses are licensed on this express agreement, defined by the Act
—that they are to cease to exist as slaughter-houses after August, 1874.
This provision of the Act has of course been taken into consideration by
anyone either purchasing or renting a slaughter-house since the year 1844.
Property too has been bought and rented in the proximity of existing
slaughter-houses on the understanding that these are to be abolished two
years hence. To allow the present slaughter-houses to continue under
existing restrictions, would be to put money into the slaughterman's pocket
at the expense and loss of comfort of his neighbours.
I recommend that the Vestry watch any proposed future legislation on
this point, and, whilst having due regard to the interests of the slaughtermen,
not to forget the interests and comfort of the ratepayers at large.
Since the above was written, I learn that Dr. Brewer has introduced a
Bill into the Common's house, which, judging from published reports (the
Bill is not yet printed), simply does away with the existing clause of the
old Act as to the establishment of new slaughter-houses, without providing
adequate security against nuisance to the public at large.
COW-SHEDS.
The cow-sheds in the parish were, at the beginning of the year, under the
consideration of a Special Committee, a deputation of cowkeepers having
waited upon the Vestry and sought your sanction to a reduction in the
minimum of space demanded for each animal. Attention had shortly
before been drawn to the cubic space required by my having pointed out
the repeated infringements of his license by a particular cowkeeper. I felt
it my duty to oppose a diminution of the minimum space on the ground
not only of sanitary requirements, but also because only 70 per cent. of the
licensed stalls were filled, and in only 23½ per cent. of the sheds were the