The daily gazette., 1881-07-23
SATURDAY, JULY -. 1851.

MEAT, Coop AND BAD.-Several
references have been made to the beef
sold in the Wilmington market that
were not at all complimentary to the
butchers engaged in the trade and
last night a petition was presented to
Council numereusly signed tor the APP
pointment of meat inspector. To
this action Mr.. Paynrer made very
proper and pointed objection. he
said it was the duty of the Clerk Of
the Market to perform the duty re-
ferred to in the petition. Mr.. Payn.
ter said further that the salary of the
Clerk was raised at the time this duty
was assigned him. 1t appears, there
fore, that there has been some neglect
on the part of this officer. Perhaps
1t was in consequence of want of
proper understanding as to what his
duties were.
The complaint as generally under-
stood is not that the meat sold is what
is termed "talnted," but that it is flesh
of cows that have not been properly
fed, or that are diseased and were un-
fit to slaughter and sell in the market
for food. A butcher, who goes to
Philadelphia and buys his beef there
and has it slaughtered there and
brought to this market for sale, re-
marked to us yesterday that more
s'thin and diseased COWS were killed
aud sold in this market than in any
other" A reporter of the GAZETTE
called on several of the butchers in
the Second Street Market a day OF
two ago, and to his inquiries they an
swered chat the rumors as to bad meat
being sold in that market were false !;
that the meat was the product of well
fed and healthy cattle. Now, there is
no doubt, cause for some of these
rumors. Some of the butchers say
so but none of them say they have
killed and sold such meat as has been
referred to. Our experience as a,
buyer and consumer is that the g:sAt
sold in this market is the best that
we have met with anywhere. And
hence we come to tkse conclusion that
while there may be some meat sold
that is nasas good as it should be, the
.gTastSer quantity that is offered in the
market is Of good and wholesome
quality.
The ordinance regulating the sale
of meat is explicit. On page 257 it
says:
'sIf any person shall sell or expose
to sale in any of the markets, any
blown, or unsound or unwholesome
meat or provision, the offender shall
forfeit and pay not less than twenty
dollars nor more than ONE HUNDRED
DOLLARS for every such offence, and
it is hereby made the duty of the
clerk of the market to SEIZE AMI
DESTROY all such unwholesome, blowr
or unsound meat or provision alludef
to In this section.
"If any person shall kill any beast
or cure or salt any meat or fish, or la,
or throw any dung, pickle, garbage o
offal matter within the market houses
or on the stalls, or under the caves o
the same, the offender shall forfeit an,
pay three dollars for every such of
fence"
The ordinance would seem sufficien
to keep the market free from the sal
Of unsound or unwholesome meat.
is the duty of the Clerk of the Marke
to see that it is fully enforced, and
it lacks in any particular to give hir
the power to fill the requirements deen
ed necessary by the City Council,
should state the fact to that body an
ask for further instructions.
In addition, by recent ordinane
amendatory to the above, the Clerk {
the Market is empowered to visit tt
slaughter houses and inspect cattle b.
fore they are killed. which woul
seem to give that officer all the pows
he needs to keep the market free frol
the exposure of meat for sale that W:
not of good and wholesome qualit,
The amendment TO the ordinance is
the words following
sit shall be the duty of the Clerk
the Market to enter in and upon tt
premises of all persons, a,
into any and all markets al
places where meat, fish or fo
are exposed or sold for food, o.
into any and all slaughter houi
where any cattle, sheep, swine or OF
or animals are butohersd, killed ,drs
ed and prepared for sale or market, "a
make examination and inspection
such articles.''