532 ' Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



ment boasts that it leads the world in Liberal legislation, but 

 it is far behind other countries in the matter of State 

 medicine. 



Nothing but legislative interference — compulsory, not per- 

 missive legislation, which is a farce — will protect the public 

 of New Zealand from the danger that exists from the alarm- 

 ing amount of tuberculosis at present to be found amongst 

 stock. And more especially is this an urgent question for 

 Wellington, which gets some, at least, of its beef and butter 

 from the most infected districts in the colony. And the 

 legislative remedy is not a difficult nor a complex problem : 

 the establishment of public abattoirs, the licensing and 

 thorough inspection of all dairies, with adequate penalties for 

 offences against the Act, would satisfy the demands of public 

 health, as it does in other parts better off than ourselves for 

 hygienic laws ; and it will not redound to the credit of our 

 legislators if, in the face of an abundant knowledge on the 

 subject, the health and life of the people are not protected by 

 useful legislation in this direction. 



The London Model Abattoir Society has done much to 

 popularise the public slaughter-house system ; and its reports, 

 gathered from the experience of about fifty towns in England 

 and Wales, clearly show that the abattoir system is the only 

 means by which the sale of diseased meat can be absolutely 

 controlled. By this system a public slaughter-house is esta- 

 blished on the outskirts of the city by either the municipality 

 or a private company. The buildings generally consist of 

 sale-yards and slaughter-yards, conveniently arranged and 

 paved throughout, with every provision for the humane treat- 

 ment of the animals to be slaughtered. In the best managed 

 provision is made for the immediate boiling, preparation, or 

 disposal of all readily decomposable material, and an abundant 

 supply of water at high pressure insures thorough cleanliness 

 throughout. It is at these abattoirs only that thorough in- 

 spection can be practised, and this is done by competent meat- 

 inspectors, who either stamj) or certify to the wholesomeness 

 of the meat sent to the retailers, and it is made a punishable 

 offence for any meat to be conveyed or exposed for sale 

 within the municipality that has not been certified to. A 

 small fee is charged for the use of these abattoirs, and as a 

 rule they clear expenses — some pay well, and very few indeed 

 are worked at a loss. 



The advantages of the abattoir system are : (1.) It is the 

 gateway through which all animal food must pass to the con- 

 sumer, and at which it must receive the certificate of a 

 qualified meat-inspector. (2.) Efficient inspection of a large 

 number of private slaughter-yards, scattered round the town, 

 is costly and practically impossible. (3.) Provision can more 



