"Would you like to see the municipal abattoir,' he asked, "and learn for yourself the way in which the meat is prepared for sale?"
I replied that I thought it would be highly illuminating for the con. sumers to learn exactly how the roast beef or the veal cutlets, not to mention the succulent pork chops, are obtained.
The Municipal Abattoir, situated in Fearon Road, is a model of cleanliness and orderly arrangement. Every piece of meat for foreign consumption that is sold in any one of the municipal markets must be slaughtered under the supervision of the health officers, a small. fee. being charged to the owners for the use of the premises, and in so doing a complete check is maintained on all incoming cattle.
Most of the cattle sold in Shanghai are raised on the hills of Taa-yang, between Chinkiang and Nanking. After being shipped to the yards by their owners, the cattle are subjected to an enforced rest of 24 to 36 hours during which time the health authorities are able to conclude a careful inspection of each.
As I walked down the long aisles between the stalls, it reminded very much of a prize cattle exhibition since each animal appeared to be both contented and in prime condition. The individual stalls contained much clean and fragrant straw,—I might add so clean were they, that the peculiar odours, always associated with cow barns or stables, were particularly noticeable by their absence, With regard to the actual slaughtering, I will only say that it is conducted in the most modern and humane manner, _During the cold weather, the sides of meat are hung usually three or four days, but in hot weather they are sent immediately to market for sale since they cannot be kept without refrigeration. Each side of meat is stamped in five or six different places, both as to quality, (No. 1 or No, 2) as well as the date it was killed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.