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undergone much improvement since the passing of the Slaughterhouses
(Metropolis) Act, 1874; it is desirable, nevertheless, that
private slaughter-houses should give place to public abattoirs,
and that the dead meat trade should be encouraged to the utmost.
It would be well, moreover, looking at the matter from a publichealth
point of view, could facilities be increased for bringing
consumers into direct relations with the importers of frozen
meat—mutton especially. This meat, excellent in quality and
condition, is often sold by retail dealers at an unfairly high price
as English meat, to which, so far as my experience goes, it is in
no way inferior.
The licensed premises have been systematically visited
throughout the year by the several Inspectors, although, as it is
scarcely necessary to mention, your Vestry have no statutory
right of control over the slaughter-houses; the position of "local
authority " for all London (the City excepted) having been vested
by the Legislature in the Metropolitan Board of Works. It is
desirable that this Board should be a local authority for making
regulations, so as to secure uniformity for the whole Metropolis,
but the Sanitary Authorities should have concurrent powers to
enable them to enforce the provisions of the regulations.
The business of a slaughterer of cattle has not been "established
anew" in Kensington since the passing of the Act.
The number of private slaughter-houses in the Metropolis,
which in 1874 was 1,429, had fallen, in October, 1886, to
775. Few businesses have been established anew during the
twelve years the Act has been in operation.
COWSHEDS.
The licensed cowsheds are 14 in number; 9 in North
Kensington, and 5 in South Kensington. The names of the
licensees, and the localities of the licensed premises, are set out
in Table XII. (Appendix). The several premises were inspected,
in July, by the Works, Sanitary, and General Purposes