FOOD CONTROL IN GERMANY 145 



hogs. The farm is kept in a high state of fertility 

 in consequence, while the farmer's income is supple- 

 mented by the sales of live stock. 



Abattoirs are not operated for profit. The fees 

 charged may only cover the cost of construction and 

 operation. Over one-third of the pubHc slaughter- 

 houses of German}^ show profits of from 4 per cent, 

 to 6 per cent, and one-quarter of them show profits 

 of from 6 per cent, to 8 per cent. 



As a matter of fact, the United States is the only 

 nation in which private slaughtering is permitted, 

 with the possible exceptions of Great Britain and 

 Turkey. But even in Great Britain many cities 

 own their abattoirs. Switzerland has possessed 

 public slaughter-houses for centuries, as have Hol- 

 land, Denmark, Scandinavia, the Balkan States, 

 Austria-Hungaiy, and Russia. Napoleon compelled 

 all French towns to close their private slaughter- 

 houses and erect public ones. And many of the 

 French abattoirs are splendidly constructed. Italy 

 and Spain have had public abattoirs since the Middle 

 Ages, and in recent years these have been greatly 

 improved. The Swiss, Dutch, and Scandinavian 

 cities have in recent years erected abattoirs that are 

 comparable to those in Germany. 



The market is also a public institution in almost 

 all European cities and has been for centuries. 

 This still further prevents speculation in food sup- 

 plies. It offers a place for the sale of fresh vegetables 



