Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-11
No. 2i6

Der of individuals All these perils to human beings, all these shocking outrages upon animals, are incurred-for what pur- posel Is it to bring a supply of good food to the doors of our teeming populations Nothing of the sort. The answer would only be sufficient if it could be shown that the food could be brought in no other way. But this is notoriously not the case. Most people must be aware that modern science has made it possible to convey the carcasses of dead animals almost any dis tance, and to preserve them for weeks, and even months, without serious injury to the character and quality of the meat; cer- tainly without causing so much damage as might often be produced by the sufferings of the live animals on the passage. The carcass can be brought over either frozen or in the refrigerating chamber, and in the latter case, st any rate, it loses hardly any of its tenderness or flavor. Why, then, is not resort had more generally to expedi- ents which are as humane and economical as the Hive neat trade is cruel and waste full. The reply is simple. Imported American cattle killed and dressed by Eng fish butchers can be sold as English beef' that is to say, at a penny or twopence a pound all round dearer than if the beasts were slaughtered in New York. and were known to be what they really are This may be reason enough for the American exporter or his coadjutor, the English middleman; but it is hardly sufficient for | the British public, who should know that they are maintaining deadly and brutal industry solely in order that they may have the pleasure of eating American meat and paying for it as if it were English. Looking at these facts-at the barbara ties of the trade, as well as its superhuity there is, it must be admitted. a strong temptation to support the drastic remedy which Mir. Plimsoll proposes. He would | solve the problem at once by prohibiting altogether the import of live cattle from trans-oceanic countries. Sweeping as the measure is, there is something to be said for it, if it is really true that no supervi- sion on the part of the board of trade and no action, would be effectual to repress the evils to which we have referred. It is for those who live by the trade. and make fat profits out of it, to show that these evils can be avoided. We have not the least doubt that a cattle-ship can be constructed
 which, if not exactly paradise for man
 and beast, would not be n source of seri-
 Ous danger to the one and a floating tor.
 ture-honse to the other. Well fed, well
 watered, and provided with proper space
 for air, light, movement and rest, the cat
 tie would not die by scores on the voyage. | HUT Mouiu IL De necessity 70 Keep some
 semblance of animation in them by con-
 stant and horrible maltreatment. Ships
 which might properly accommodate two
 hundred head of oxen should not be al
 lowed to carry thousand, nor should il be permitted to cram the animals into darl
 and reeking holds, as if they had no mor'
 feeling than so many bales of cotton New and strict regulations should be de
 yised, and, what is more, they should b
 enforced. As it is, the lax rules pre-
 seribed by the legislature are frequently
 disregarded. There is only one way of SC curing that they shall be carried out Ey. cry cattle ship should be bound to carr,
 an officer appointed by the board of trade
 who should be responsible for the propel . treatment of the animals and should b prepared to proceed against the owners o
 the consignees if the regulations were viO | lated