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47
The Royal Commissioners recommend with respect to slaughterhouses as follows:—
(a) "When the Local Authority in any town or urban district in England and
"Wales and Ireland, have provided a public slaughterhouse, power be con"ferred
on them to declare that no other place within the town or borough
"shall be used for slaughtering, 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 term of three years to date, in those
"places whero adequate public slaughterhouses already exist, from the public
"announcement by the Local Authority that the use of such public slaughter"house
is obligatory, or, in those places where public slaughterhouses have
"not been erected, from the public announcement by the Local Authority
"that tenders for their erection have been accepted."
(b) "That Local Authorities be empowered to require all meat slaughtered else"where
than in a public slaughterhouse, and brought into the district for
"sale, to be taken to a place or places where such meat may be inspected ;
"and that Local Authorities be empowered to make a charge to cover the
"reasonable expenses attendant on such inspection."
(c) "That when a public slaughterhouse has been established, inspectors shall be
"engaged to inspect all animals immediately after slaughter, and stamp the
"joints of all carcases passed as sound,"
They also recommend that in the future all persons shall be properly qualified
by examination before a recognised authority, before being permitted to act as meat
inspectors.
It appears to the Royal Commissioners "that in London the provision of public
in substitution for private slaughterhouses, should be considered in respect to the
needs of London as a whole," and they point out the absence of statutory power
authorising administrative authorities to provide public slaughterhouses, except for
slaughtering of imported cattle at the port of debarcation.
The following resolutions have been submitted to the London County Council by
their Public Health Committee for adoption:—
(а) That in the opinion of the Council it is desirable that, as a first step
towards ensuring the proper inspection of meat, private slaughterhouses
should cease to exist in London, and that butchers should in substitution be
afforded such facilities as are necessary for the killing of animals in public
slaughterhouses to be erected by the Council.
(b) That a copy of this report and of the Council's resolutions thereon be sent
to the Local Government Board, with an intimation that the Council is
prepared to accept such responsibilities as may be necessary to give effect in
London to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis,
and that the Board be asked whether they will include in any legislation