144 THE HIGH COST OF LIVING 



Live meat is driveu in from the neighborhood or 

 is brought in by water or rail. The cattle, hogs, and 

 sheep are either sold on the hoof to the local butcher 

 or the meat is sold at retail to buyers. The abattoir 

 is built of concrete. It includes a great cold-storage 

 plant. There is a fine hotel and administration 

 building attached, and the entire floor space, cover- 

 ing about 94 acres of land, is paved with cement so 

 that it can be flushed with the use of a hose. The 

 place is so clean that a woman can walk about the 

 place in the daintiest clothes. 



The slaughtering of cattle, like the transportation 

 of all food, is under exclusive public control. There 

 is Uttle chance for monopoly because combination 

 is very diflficult. The farmers and butchers barter 

 in the open. Cold-storage facilities can be rented 

 by any one, for they, too, are public. There is thus 

 no chance for the middleman. The price is fixed 

 by demand and supply from day to day, with only 

 the local butcher between the consumer and the 

 farmer. Moreover, everything is sanitary. One of 

 the impelling reasons for public slaughtering is to 

 insure wholesome meat. 



Here is another link in the chain of publicly owned 

 institutions for insuring freedom from monopoly of 

 the food supply of the nation. And nothing con- 

 tributes more to diversified farming and the local 

 supply of meat in every community than municipal 

 abattoirs. Every farmer raises cattle, sheep, and 



