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57
A few figures relating to the quantities of meat discharged from one ship in one
dock alone, may be of interest. This particular ship discharged in the Royal Albert
Dock—Chilled Beef 27,396 quarters, Frozen Beef 2,113 quarters, Sheep 9,442 carcasses,
and Offals 269 packages. This ship was one of a line of several steamers regularly
trading with the dock, and all carrying approximately similar quantities. The vessels
arrive weekly, and the rate would represent by this one line alone, and at one warehouse
only, in the course of the year—384,880 oxen, 490,984 sheep, or without counting
sheep, the carcasses of 7,000 bullocks a week, or 1,000 per day, to be inspected.
It is very obvious from this, that if any defect is discovered in the meat necessitating
detailed inspection, the demand upon your officers is considerable, as it means a
concentration of inspectors upon the ship on which defective meat happens, and at the
same time the maintenance of supervision over all other ships which may be discharging
meat and other foodstuffs at the same time, in addition to the ordinary work of
sanitary inspection.
During the year several experimental consignments of Rabbits from Australia,
arrived in the Port of London.
The methods of "preservation" were novel, and the idea was to be able to ship
rabbits to London in bulk, and so save the expense of carriage in refrigating chambers.
Altogether four consignments arrived.
The first consisted of seven barrels, each containing about one hundred skinned
rabbits embedded in tallow, the whole forming a solid block.
The second comprised five casks packed in a similar manner.
The third and fourth comprised six cases and eight cases respectively. The cases
were about two feet long, one foot wide and the same depth, the interior being divided
into sections filled with fat, in which the rabbits were embedded. These cases each
weighed 118 lbs., made up as follows : fat 73 lbs., rabbits 29 lbs., tare 16 lbs.
The tallow and fat in all the consignments were rancid, and the rabbits putrid and
unfit for human food. They were, therefore, seized by your officers and destroyed.
The result of these experiments proved so costly and unsatisfactory, that they
have been discontinued.
On the 7th January, a consignment of 85 casks of Beef from Australia, arrived in
the Port of London. On examination, the casks were found to contain flanks and
briskets which had been cut off fore-quarters of Beef, in Australia.
As experience, gained by inspection here, proved that the majority of flanks and
briskets on fore-quarters of Australian Beef contained Onchocerca ("worm''), a
10 per cent. examination of the contents of the casks was made, and it was found that
the pieces of Beef were considerably infected with " worm."
The importers were communicated with, and they asked to be allowed to re-export
it to Australia. As this was an early consignment, the request was acceded to, but the