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49
It will be seen that only 27.4 per cent. of the animals
were inspected during office hours, but despite this fact
only 1.7 per cent. of the total number of animals were not
examined. This percentage would be still further reduced
had not a notice relating to 40 pigs gone astray.
In the first three months of the year 88 visits were
made to the slaughter-houses. During the remaining nine
months 157 visits were made in ordinary office hours,
making a total of 245, compared with 220 for the year
1924, and an annual average of 112 for the five years
1920-24 inclusive. These figures not only show the increase,
but they also demonstrate that the additional work imposed
by the Meat Regulations has only increased the amount of
meat inspection work during official hours to a small extent.
The 572 visits made outside official hours represent the
additional work and have absorbed time which is usually
devoted to recreation.
It is obvious that your Meat Inspector could not be
present during the whole of the slaughtering process, but
in most cases the butchers have co-operated to avoid, as
far as possible, the difficulties which arise as the result of
this absence. The object of being present at the time of
slaughter is, inter alia, to enable the Meat Inspector to see
the organs of the carcase in situ and to identify the organs
with the corresponding carcase. It is only possible to
witness the process of dressing in a small proportion of the
total number of carcases. The second object, however, has
been overcome to a great extent by the use of numbered
hooks to receive the organs, with corresponding numbers
for the carcases. This arrangement has answered well,
but one has to rely very much on the help of the slaughtermen.
There is no system of meat marking in force in the
Borough.
I have said that the Regulations could.be extended with
advantage, and I suggest the following directions : (1) In
order to obtain more complete supervision, local authorities
should be given power to regulate the hours of slaughtering
in private slaughter-houses in their district; (2) There should
be definite power to retain a carcase for 24 hours where
deferred examination is considered desirable.
These suggested extensions would tend to reduce the
work of the local authority, and I feel sure that np serious