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15
Cow and Slaughter Houses.
Forty-two applications were made for licenses to keep
cows and 36 for slaughter houses. Eleven were opposed
on the ground that the premises were unfit for
the purpose, or that the necessary works were not
completed. Of these, 8 complied with the requirements
of your committee and officers, and were allowed, 1 was
withdrawn, and 2 were refused. Considerable improvements
have been effected of late years upon the suggestions
of your officers, both as to slaughter and cow
houses. In the case of cow houses I have, after long
persuasion, convinced the proprietors of the wisdom of
greater and improved ventilation ; there has been in
consequence much less lung disease, whereas its
increase had been predicted by the owners of the
animals.
By the Act of 1874 the Metropolitan Board of Works
is constituted the Local Authority for the Metropolis,
except the City of London. The Board has made byelaws,
as empowered to do under the Act; these bye-law3
prescribe the sanitary condition and arrangements of
the premises to be observed before the granting of the
license, but it is provided that these Bye-laws shall
not lessen or affect the authority of Yestries and District
Boards; I believe if carried out literally they will do
much good, and assist the officers of the Yestry in carrying
out their duties.
In Bye-law (15) relating to water supply to the
slaughterhouse, it should have provided that the supply
be entirely separate and distinct from that for domestic,
closet, or any other purposes whatever; this I had succeeded
in getting adopted in many instances.
The lairs in which animals are kept previous to
slaughtering should have been included in clause 19;
this lias also been adopted in most cases in this Hamlet.