52 THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES REPORT 
The better class slaughterhouse owner that I liave been speaking of is either : [a) A 
butcher who uses the private slaughterhouse for his own convenience, for example, as being 
convenient to his shop, or for other reasons ; or {!>) a slaughterer who is not a meat seller at all, 
and simply lives by his business of slaughtering for others. 
Surely, if it is in the interests of the public health that private slaughterhouses should be 
closed, the mere question of convenience to the butcher and meat seller should not entitle him to 
compensation for disturbance. He would have his three years' notice, and at the end of that time 
let him do his slaughtering at the proper place, namely, the public abattoir ; and if, in any special 
case, it were shown that he had perhaps recently spent considerable sums of money in endeavouring 
to comply with the requirements of the medical officer of health of the district, some basis of 
compensation might be easily arrived at. 
But with the other man the case is somewhat different. He has a trade on which he lives, 
and at the end of three years that source of livelihood comes to an end. Should it be a very 
serious matter to compensate him ? and if some compensation is necessary, could not it take the 
form of guaranteed employment at the new abattoir, if he is a working man ? If, on the other 
hand, he did not himself actually use the poleaxe, he could receive an annuity or lump sum, 
calculated on a fair and moderate basis. 
The German Act of 1881 specially provides that no compensation shall be paid for the 
extra trouble there may be involved by reason of a butcher having to slaughter away from his own 
place of business. Compensation paid shall be for real damage or loss which can be proved on 
account of the closing of the places ; such places having been built for slaughtering purposes. 
And compensation to be paid must have deducted from it the amount which may be realized from 
the properties and fixtures when used for other purposes. 
I think, in England, the difficulties have been exaggerated. Let public opinion be 
sufficiently aroused on the subject, and I do not think the question of compensation will be a 
very serious difficulty. At present public opinion is not strong ; on the other hand the butchers 
and their federations are, and, naturally, the Government says ' the time is not yet ripe.' 
Stamping Meat 
With regard to the question of stamping the meat it has been suggested that the British 
public will object to have its joints of meat disfigured thereby. I do not believe so for one instant. 
In Germany such marks are understood, looked for, and sometimes even more of them asked foi 
on a carcass than the authorities usually put ; and why should it not be the same in England ? 
