168 ANIMALS WASTED BY WAR. 



disposal of animals for purposes of food. The President of the 

 Institution was our chief contractor and he was also the 

 President of the Chevaline Industrie de Paris. Animals were 

 sent by truck-loads from the various Veterinary Hospitals and 

 Convalescent Horse Depots, accompanied by personnel of the 

 E.A.V.C. They were met at the different Railway Stations of 

 Paris by the Contractor's men and taken to the Abattoir under 

 the supervision of a Non-Commissioned Officer of the B.A.V.C. 

 They were weighed at the Abattoir, and were sold live weight 

 at 1 Franc per kilo, for thin animals (Class B) and Fr. 1'50 per 

 kilo, for those in good condition (Class A). Thin animals were 

 used for sausages, the stouter ones for joints. Transactions 

 were all cash, and the money was paid into the local Treasury 

 Office. Eegular Contracts were drawn out, and deposits were 

 lodged by the Contractors in the Office of the Command Pay- 

 master. So extensive did the transactions become as the War 

 progressed — the number of animals running up to 600 and over 

 per week, that for the personal safety of the young officer 

 detailed to collect the money, payment was permitted to be 

 made by cheque. A small Detachment of Eoyal Army Veter- 

 inary Corps, consisting of an Officer, a Sergeant, and a Corporal 

 as accountant clerk, was maintained in Paris to watch our 

 interests and those of the animals. The adaptability of the 

 British Officer to business pursuits was well illustrated in the 

 young officer, who was an Oxford Graduate and a Professor of 

 French in a Colonial University previous to the War. What 

 he did not know about this particular line of business, both 

 wholesale and retail, after several years experience, was not 

 worth knowing. 



The average weight of a Class A (good condition) animal was 

 about 450 kilos, so that the proceeds would be 450 x Fr. 1-50 = 

 Fr. 675. The Class B animal (Debility and poor condition) 

 weighed about 300 or 350 kilos, so that at Fr. 1 per kilo, the 

 sum of Fr. 300 to Fr. 350 would be realized. Contractors were 

 wholesale dealers and supplied retail shops. All carcases were 

 passed by Municipal Meat Inspectors, and in the selection or 

 submission of animals for purposes of food, Officers of the 

 E.A.V.C. concerned were strictly charged that no animals were 

 to be submitted but what were perfectly suitable, and in this 



