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42
the bottles in which the milk has been delivered. The defence almost
invariably has been the inefficiency of labour available. It is to be hoped
that the day is not far distant when those engaged in the treatment of
milk on a large scale will be able to obtain a sufficiency of satisfactory
labour. It is hoped, too, that it will be possible to remove those controls
that prevent a retailer obtaining his supplies from sources he knows to be
satisfactory, and the householder obtaining her supplies from the retailer
she wants.
(B) MEAT.
Inspection.
At the time of amalgamation there were nine slaughterhouses in the
district. Certain changes have since been made, giving now the following
eight:—7, Northolt Road ; 46, High Street, Wealdstone ; 94, High Street,
Wealdstone ; High Street, Pinner ; Green Man, Honeypot Lane; Stanmore
Hill; Stanmore Hall Farm ; and 63, High Street, Edgware.
In ordinary circumstances very little killing took place at these
premises. For instance, in 1935, two were not used at all, a third was
used on one occasion only, while the total average weekly killings in all
amounted only to four beasts, 40 pigs, seven calves and 23 sheep. For this
very limited amount the provision of a municipal abattoir was not
considered to be warranted.
In the early days of the war slaughtering at these premises was
abandoned, though a limited amount of killing at one institution was
permitted. The effect of the Live Stock (Restriction on Slaughtering)
Order, 1940, which became operative early in 1940, was that whereas
formerly slaughtering had been carried out in some 16,000 premises in
the country, the work was now concentrated in some 500 premises.
The previous multiplicity of the private slaughterhouses which rendered
impossible effective post-mortem examination of the animals killed and
precluded ante-mortem examination on any scale, was a blot on the
public health service of this country. Because the premises at which
killing was centralised were selected primarily because of considerations
of transport, not the most satisfactory from a hygienic point of view were
selected. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that hygienic conditions will
now enable a similar practice to be continued and not permit all over the
country the re-opening of the small private slaughterhouses.
Slaughterers are required to give notice to the authority of their
intention to slaughter. The purpose of this requirement is to enable an
inspector to attend and examine. With the limited killing here, it was
possible to arrange that examination took place of almost every carcase
before it was released. No difficulty was experienced regarding the surrender
and condemnation of unsound parts.
During the year, 62 pigs and one lamb, owned by pig clubs or an
institution, were killed and inspected on slaughter. Except one, in which
the head was affected with tuberculosis, the carcases were sound. Three
mesenteric fats were condemned for tuberculosis ; four plucks for parasitic
disease or pneumonia, and five livers because of abscesses or flukes.
All three constituent districts adopted the clauses of the Slaughter
of Animals Act by which sheep are included in the list of animals to be+