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136
That a label signed by the Inspector would be attached by wire to each
piece of meat by an impressed leaden seal, bearing the City Arms on one side
and P.H.D. (Public Health Department) on the other. The labels were to
be numbered consecutively, and a record kept at the Market of meat so
examined and passed.
A certificate would be forwarded to the purchaser each day, showing a copy
of this record, stating that the consecutive numbers correspond to those on
the labels. It was proposed that in the first instance a charge of two pence
be made for each seal so attached, in order to cover the cost of marking, and
that this charge be reconsidered later. It was explained that this charge was
solely for the extra work and expense involved in the marking, and not for
inspection to which they were entitled.
These arrangements were to have been carried out for a limited period—
say, three or six months—in order to ascertain whether the system worked
satisfactory.
The Committee concurred herein, and decided that, in the meantime, the
whole question of marking meat be adjourned, pending the result of the
working of the proposed arrangement.
This, however, never came into operation owing to the Local Government
Board issuing Regulations with regard to the exportation of meat food
products to the United States of America and the Philippine Islands, referred
to on page 138 of this Report.
With regard to this question of meat marking, it was found that in this case
the firm welcomed the proposed method, as their interests were concerned,
and the point I here wish to emphasise, and what I have before pointed out,
is that the interests of British Agriculturalists are equally concerned in the
matter, as there is little doubt that a great deal of foreign meat is sold as
home produce, and this view has been endorsed by the Cattle Markets
Committee.
The fact is patent that anyone purchasing meat would prefer to know
that it had been subjected to official inspection by experts, and failing the
substitution of Public Abattoirs for private slaughterhouses, the official marking
of meat that has passed the inspectors is the only means by which the public
can have any choice in the matter. It is obvious that of two butchers
established in the same neighbourhood, one selling unmarked meat and the
other officially marked meat, the one selling the latter would get most of the
business. .
If the Corporation make provision for the examination and marking of meat
at a dep6t established at Smithfield, as suggested in the Report presented to