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26
LICENSED SLAUGHTER HOUSES.
The licensed slaughter houses, 54 in number, viz.: 32 in the North,
and 22 in the South sanitary district, have been regularly inspected.
A list of them is given in the Appendix (Table G.) The time is at
hand when something definite must be decided with respect to them
viz. : whether to extend the period beyond August, 1874, at which,
under the Building Act, 1844, they should be abolished, or to provide
a substitute in the form of Public Abattoirs for the common use of the
trade. The subject is now under the consideration of a Select Committee
of the House of Commons, whose report will, I hope, lead to a satisfactory
settlement of the question. No doubt the private slaughter houses
in the Metropolis generally are better kept than they were before the
system of licensing brought them under the authority of the Local
Boards. But it would be wrong to suppose that the majority of them
are what they ought to be. Many, more or less serious defects in position,
construction, and other details have been, in some measure overlooked,
on the assumption that they would be soon abolished. Very
few indeed of them were built for the purpose, and in several the conditions
under which the license is granted are not strictly adhered to.
Thus, as it is plainly stated upon the notice paper supplied to all
applicants for the licence, " no part of the place used as a slaughter
house shall be inhabited, nor shall any underground room or cellar be
so used; " but several slaughter houses are situated in Mewses, and the
rooms over them are inhabited. In more than one instance the slaughter
house may be properly described as an underground room or cellar, and
I opposed the renewal of one licence last year on this ground, but the
magistrates overruled my objection because the place had been tolerated
so long. The other conditions are as follow :—a good water supply,
impermeable flooring, good drainage directly connected with the sewer
and properly trapped, the inlet to be covered with a fixed grating of
definite size to .prevent solid refuse from entering the sewer; covered
receptacles to contain manure, garbage, and refuse, all of which is to be
removed from the premises between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.
The premises are to be lime-washed at least three times a year, and
cattle are not allowed to be kept in or about them fcrr a longer period
than thirty-six hours. It may be mentioned that only about one-half
of the butchers in the parish have licensed slaughter houses. Some of
those who have slaughter houses accommodate those who have none for
a small fixed charge, and two or three slaughter houses are practically
abattoirs but without that supervision which would be enforced were
the system once introduced by legal enactment.
Should the Select Committee decide to advise the House to retain
the existing system, it would become my duty to recommend your
Vestry to oppose the re-licensing of some, and to require very considerable
improvements in other slaughter houses which do not come up to
the standard. It seems not improbable however that a more satisfactory
system will be adopted, viz. that of public slaughter houses, which
appears to have been a complete success in every sense wherever it has
been adopted—not having increased the price of meat, and having given
great satisfaction to the trade after a short trial. I cannot but think
the same results would follow a fail trial of the system in the