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had not been much used. The butchers preferred to continue using their private places;
perhaps because they could slaughter their diseased cattle without being observed. The
adoption of the public abattoirs would be an advantage for the poor. In the private
slaughter houses even good meat became tainted by contact with the bad conditions
which prevailed. As for the objection taken against their abolition, on the ground of the
difficulty of transit in hot weather, he (Dr. Carpenter) thought there would be no harm
done if at such a time meat were not eaten at all. Much of the disease that prevailed
then was produced by eating animal food in a state of change, and people would be much
better without it. The law required to be altered to meet the requirements of the case
in many ways. And first with regard to the inspectors. It could not be cxpected that
the class of men who were appointed to this office were likely to be really efficient; nor
was the remuneration they received such as was sufficient to overcome the temptation to
shut their eyes when occasion offered, and "palm oil" offered a strong inducement to
do so. In company with brother magistrates, he had had to ait in court, and hear an
application for the renewal of a slaughter house license, and in face of strong and unanimous
evidence against it on the part of those who lived in its vicinity, they had found
that the law did not allow them to interfere at all, because the officer of the local authority
could not see it was a nuisance. He hoped this Society would make a strong effort against
the continuance of such places. The evidence of the Parliamentary Committee which sat
upon the subject was entirely one-sided—no one was heard adverse to them.
Dr. George Ross (Medical Officer of Health for St. Giles') supported the views
contained in the paper. lie thought Dr. Sarvis had been misled by the evidence of the
butchers. The principal point in their declaration was that meat would be made dearer
to the consumer. And this had influenced certain medical officers to support their views.
But he did not believe in this reason. The real one was that they desired to keep the
matter in their own hands. Now they could, by keeping back the live stock, always
command the market. It was not the interest of the public the butcher sought, but his
own. Nothing was more abominable than the condition of the slaughter houses, and
there could be no doubt that if they were abolished it would be a great boon to the
public. He was opposed to any compromise, because he could see no way to improvement
short of entire abolition. There was a much greater difficulty in dealing with the subject
in this metropolis than in small towns. There would be a great difficulty in providing
for four abattoirs for the metropolis as proposed, and in his opinion it would be better that
Copenhagen Market should be supplied with accommodation adequate to the wants of the
whole metropolis. Under proper regulations for the prevention of nuisances, if this were
the case, there would be no more than there are now connected with live cattle. Some
nuisances there must always be attendant upon the work, but by this system, taken as a
whole, he thought there would be less than by any other. The butcher could communicate
by telegraph from any part of London, and order any number of cattle he might
choose to be killed. Subdividing in this matter he thought would not succeed. He had
never found that compromises answered. Five-sixths of our legislation was of the nature
of compromise, and the same proportion ended in faiiure.
Mr. Charles V. Game had been interested in the paper; but he looked upon it as
entirely theoretical. He had, perhaps, had as much experience of slaughtering and of
the markets as any man in London. It appeared to him that the law on the subject of
slaughter houses was not understood. These places were licensed by the magistrates
after application had been made to the local authorities, and an inspection by the medical
officer. If there were no objections the license was granted. But the premises were