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"whether technically styled urban or rural, of public slaughterhouses under the direct control of the
"sanitary authorities and their officers, and by the adoption of measures which will, as soon as
"practicable, provide a class of skilled meat inspectors."
"The properly administered public slaughterhouse is demanded as an act of justice to those
"trading in meat; it is demanded in the interests of public health and decency; it is demanded for the
"prevention of cruelty to the lower animals ; and it is demanded in order to bring England, if not the
"United Kingdom, somewhat nearer to the level of other civilised nations in this matter."
"Public slaughterhouses, officered by skilled inspectors, and supervised by medical officers of
"health, are urgently required, amongst other reasons, for the prevention of tuberculosis in man."
While the objections of the deputations who attended before the Committee and of the
memorialists of the Council deserve every consideration, I submit that they afford no substantial reason
for reconsideration of the recommendations the Committee have made to the Council. They are of the
sort that are always urged when there is any question affecting the meat trade ; thus, when it was
proposed to move the live cattle market from Smithfield to Islington this was vigorously opposed by the
butchers' trade societies, and, had they been successful, Londoners would now be exposed to the risk and
annoyance of tens of thousands of cattle being driven through the streets to central London. Again,
when there was a proposal to slaughter at Deptford all the foreign cattle on arrival, the Select
Committee by whom the Foreign Cattle Markets Bill was considered were informed that compulsory
slaughter at the water-side would have the effect of stopping to a large extent the importation of
cattle; that butchers would rather buy a live beast in the English market and take it to their
private slaughterhouse than a dead beast in the foreign market; that the offal would be lost; that
it was impossible to supply London from a dead meat market; that competition and consequently
prices would fall at the foreign market; that the foreign producer would not send his cattle there,
and that the foreign market would soon come to an end, &c. The lapse of time has sufficed to show
the amount of importance which attaches to such objections. The Deptford market has proved a
success not only to the Corporation of the City of London, but has contributed in important degree to
the meat supply of the whole of London, while the private slaughterhouses have continually decreased
in number. The meat trade has fallen into line with the new conditions, and will do so again.
The only obstacle which now remains to proper meat inspection is the existence of some 400
more or less used private slaughterhouses, supplying less than a tenth of the meat sold in London.
The cessation of their existence is urgently needed. The last Royal Commission recommend that
when any local authority has provided a public slaughterhouse, power should be given them to close
private slaughterhouses, except that a period of three years be allowed to the owners of existing
registered private slaughterhouses to apply their premises to other purposes.
The position of London is somewhat exceptional, seeing that more than one public slaughterhouse
would be required to give the owners of private slaughterhouses a reasonable alternative.
Certainly it is absolutely necessary that private slaughterhouses should cease to exist in London, and I
believe future requirements could be better considered when definite arrangements have been made
for that purpose.
Milk and meat.
I may add one last reason for the adoption by the Council of the Committee's recommendations,
although it has little direct reference to London, but is all important in its indirect effects. The Royal
Commission on Tuberculosis recommend that the Board of Agriculture give stock owners opportunity for
the testing of their animals by furnishing them under certain conditions with a gratuitous supply of tuberculin
and the gratuitous services of a veterinary surgeon, the object being to to eliminate tuberculous
animals from the stock and enable them to be isolated. Mr. Walter Long recently stated that no evidence
had as yet been placed before him of the desire of stock owners to have such aid. It would appear,
therefore, that so long as tuberculous milk and meat can be sold without let or hindrance, this most
necessary step will not be taken by stock owners, and tuberculous milk and meat will continue to be
supplied to the consumer. I need not point out to the Committee the great influence the Council
can exercise by active and judicious administration of the powers referred to above. If difficulty is put
in the way of the sale of tuberculous milk and meat to the London population—nearly a seventh of the
population of England and Wales—it cannot be doubted that stock owners will see the necessity in their
own interest of making every effort to eliminate tuberculosis from their herds, and thus bring about,
not only the protection of the inhabitants of London, but of those of other communities.
Shirley F. Murphy,
Public Health Department, Medical Officer of Health.
Spring-gardens,
January, 1899.