Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-06
A LEATHER TRADE TRICK.
Animals Skinned Alive TO Make the
Hide Sell Better.

From the London Truth.
The following statement, In the accuracy
of which my readers may have full con-
fidence, shows that a barbarous practice OF
1aying alive goats and kids prevails in diff
ferent parts Of India. 1t is satisfactory to
know that the Calcutta Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals is stirring In
the matter, but, as the writer, points out in
his concluding paragraph, lis almost i'm
possible for voluntary society to deal with
a practice of this kind in all parts of India,
and the government ought to .ceme to the
rescue Of the unfortunate goats and kids. =
The export from Calcutta of goatskins
dried in the hair is a very large one,
amounting to more than million skins per
month. The skins go to American and Eu-
ropean leather dresSers, the Americans TAX
ing by far the larger proportion. For
long time past the practice has prevailed of
stretching the skins 1engthwise while fresh,
in order to increase the measured length.
and with it the apparent value To meet
it the American morocco manufacturers i'm
posed a minimum length of twenty-eight
inches from square Of neck to root of tall
as standard which skins must pass In or
der to go into thes"regular" assortment.
Upon this the Hindu promptly devised
means to force the'aength Of small goat
skins up to the re4uired twenty eight
inches, one. of thelmeans being the diabol-
ically cruef one of sfayfng the head, at any
rate, alive, the perpetTator believing that
he could thereby add an inch or two to the
length of the neck, and thus make few
more annas per skin
The existence of this practice has been
known or suspected zfof some time among
the buyers for export. But it came out
| more definitely toward the end of 1901
through statemeRta1n a Calcutta news
paper and a reference to the practice in the
report Of the Calcutta Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty 'to' animals. Fuller in
formation has since heen sought through
the chief goatskin buyers in the Calcutta
pally concerned in the American trade have
taken steps to have the twenty eight-inch
rule authoritativelys5x rescinded and all
stretching of skins for aruefcial length dis
countenanced. The Iocal Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals has taken
the matter up, and as the result of its ac-
ton -four or five places In the mart of Cal
cutta where this form Of cruelty was habit
ually practiced were discovered, and the
municipal inspector of slaughter houses has
been invested with authority to arrest with
out warrant" The society has also adj
dressed the lieutenant governor of Bengal
on the subject, and made certain requests
or suggestions for Strengthening the exist
ing powers for coping with the practice.
1t will be seen, therefore. that the houses
in the trade have in a measure done what
they can to stop the practice. and the Cal
cutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Is also acting to the extent of
it's powers. 1t is difficult, however, to dis
cover to what extent the practice prevails
in the various goatskn collecting districts
up country. and the arm Of the Calcutta
society does not reach beyond the immedi-
ate suburbs of the city of Calcutta It Is
very much to be hoped, therefore, that the
government Of India on its part may be in
duced to recognize and assist the effort that
is being made to root but form of diabol-
ical cruelty which Is a disgrace to the coun-
try in which it prevails.