Mexborough and Swinton Times July 28, 1939
Prison for Goldthorpe Butcher
Meat Condemned As Unsound
“Case — A Warning to 0thers”
Doncaster Chairman’s Comments
What was described by the Chairman of the Doncaster West Riding magistrates as one of the most disgusting cases ever to be brought before the court, resulted in drastic penalties being inflicted on Tuesday.
Jack Ganter (29) a butcher of Market Street, Goldthorpe, was summoned by the Doncaster Rural District Council for three breaches of the Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924, and by the Dearne Urban District Council for a number of breaches of the Public Health Act, 1875.
Altogether, there were ten .summonses.
Arthur Lyons (junr.), a farmer, of Clayton-with-Frickley, was also summoned for a breach of the 1924 Act.
Mr. C. R. Marshall prosecuted and Mr. W. Lindsay Crawford appeared for the defendants, and pleaded “Not Guilty.”
Mr. C. R. Marshall said the regulations required that a person who was to slaughter an animal for human consumption should report the time and place of the slaughter to the local authority not less than three hours previously. Another regulation provided that notice should be given to the local authority before the removal from the place of slaughter of the carcase that it might be inspected and its removal authorised. The Act also required that unsound meat should not be sold for human consumption. Evidence would be given that unsound meat was found in Ganter’s possession, and under the circumstances he, Mr. Marshall, claimed that from that a reasonable inference could be drawn that the meat was intended for sale for human consumption.
A further regulation required a certain state of cleanliness to be observed in the room where the animal was slaughtered. The sanitary inspector would say that the place at Lyons’ farm, where the animal was slaughtered, was in a filthy condition.
Inspector’s Visit.
Proceeding, Mr.’ Marshall said the facts, were that Mr. Allemby, sanitary inspector, and Meats Inspector to the slaughter.
Dearne Urban District Council, visited Ganter’s shop at 13, Market Street, Goldthorpe, on Friday, June 16th. Ganter was present, along with an assistant. Mr. Allemby asked Ganter to see some meat in the refrigerator, and he opened the door and took out some portions of beef. They were, alleged Mr. Marshall, unset, emaciated, and dark coloured the lymphatic tissues showing signs of tuberculosis.
He asked Granter where he had bought the carcase, and he said he had bought it from a man at Doncaster the previous Monday. He added he had been a fool. He said it was a little heifer. It was bought alive, but it was lame in one foot. The man from whom he bought it had a lot of cattle in an hotel yard at Doncaster. He paid him E7 for it. He also added that it was killed “over there,” which suggested it was killed at a Doncaster slaughterhouse.
Mr. Allemby said he doubted very much whether a beast of that description had been slaughtered at Doncaster, and he asked him then whether it had I been killed at Clayton. The defendant then said that seeing he appeared to know so much, he would tell him the truth; it was, but he would not tell him where, for they were relatives of his. He said he killed it the previous Monday, June 12th, in the morning, and had moved the carcase the same evening and put it in his refrigerator. It was unusual to move a carcase so soon after slaughter.
No Notice.
Mr. Allemby also asked him if anyone had inspected the carcase at Clayton, and he said No.” He also admitted that no notice of intended slaughter had been given. He then asked him to produce any other portions of the beast in his possession and Ganter then took from the refrigerator seven other pieces, all, said Mr. Marshall, properly butchered and prepared in joints. Other portions of the carcase were missing. The pieces he produced all bore evidence of tuberculosis, being in the same condition as the rest seized. He also asked Ganter to account for the missing portions and he said he had sold the rough meat for stewing meat, the liver and the lungs had been disposed of for dog meat, and the tripe had been taken away, presumably to the hide and skin merchants. There was no fat. Ganter also said he had sold the head and the tongue.
Mr. Allemby asked the defendant if he knew what would have happened in a slaughter house in the Dearne district and he replied, ” Yes, you would have taken it away. I have been a fool.” As a matter of fact, proceeded Mr. Marshall, Ganter was licensed by the Dearne District Council as sub-occupier of a slaughter house at Goldthorpe. He told Ganter he proposed to get a Justice of the Peace to condemn the carcase. The meat was conveyed to the Council offices, where it was seen by a magistrate, and condemned in defendant’s presence. The weight of the meat seized was just over 13 stones.
The matter was reported to Doncaster Rural Council in whose area the animal had been slaughtered, and the meat was inspected by Mr. A. Reynolds, their chief inspector, and he also interviewed Ganter, asking him if he wanted to make a statement. He replied that he was not, but would take what was coming to him at the time. The Rural Council had received no notice of the slaughter of the animal.
Asked Him Openly
Regarding Lyons, Mr. Marshall went on, it was alleged against him that he was the occupier of the room in which the beast was prepared for sale and that it was not in the condition prescribed by the regulation. Arising out of the discovery of the meat, Mr. Reynolds, on June 16th, visited Lilac Farm, Clayton, and there saw Lyons jnr. He asked him quite openly what had happened to the carcase which had been killed there on the previous Monday. At first he said no beast had been killed there, and that he knew nothing about it. He asked him if he knew Ganter, and he said he did slightly. He asked him if he had visited the farm on the previous Monday, and he said he had with some sheep and lambs.
Mr. Reynolds was given permission to inspect the buildings, and during the course of it, Lyons said he always had some offal about the place as he bred maggots for fishermen. Some organs were found in a loose box and when defendant’s attention was drawn to them he was alleged to have said, ” You seem to know as much as I do, those are the organs you are looking for.” He later said, “Yes, I will tell you everything. On Monday June 12th, Mr. Jack Ganter, butcher, brought and dressed a cow here with a broken front leg. He killed and dressed it himself. I did not help him. I was not at home, and I did not give him permission to slaughter it here.” He added that his (Lyons’) father was away too., The place was not licensed as a slaughter house, said Mr. Marshall. Lyons said he only killed a pig occasionally for his own use. He volunteered the information that there was a cow on the premises belonging to Gant
” Definitely Unfit ”
Evidence was given by George Henry Allemby, chief sanitary and meat inspector, to the Dearne Council. He had been a meat inspector, he said, for 15 years. He bore out Mr. Marshall’s statement. The meat he seized from Ganter’s shop was definitely unfit for human consumption. Ganter would have had to have given notice to him of intention to slaughter at Goldthorpe. He estimated the weight of the missing portions at one stone five pounds, which would make the weight of the beast about 15 stones, which was very poor indeed, having regard to its age.
Mr. W. Lindsay Crawford, who defended, at this stage asked permission to consult his clients privately, and upon his return said he desired on their behalf to withdraw their plea of “Not guilty,” and plead ” Guilty.” His instructions had been cancelled. He had been instructed that there had been no sale, and he could not now, in view of the evidence, carry the case any further. It had come as a great shock to him. Ganter had been carrying on business in the name of Butterfield Bros. for ten years, and there had never been the slightest complaint before. He had occupied, a field at Clayton for a long time, and on the day in question he already had one beast turned out there.
It had, however, been breaking out through the hedges, and he wanted to buy another as a rearing beast, thinking that it would also have the effect of keeping the other company. He bought the beast in question and conveyed it to Clayton. Unfortunately, on arrival there, it fell out of the trailer and broke its leg. This was round about nine o’clock in the morning. There was nobody about to give him a hand with it, so he killed it himself and then went home, later returning and dressing the carcase.
He admitted he had sold some portions, and that, of course, went on Mr. Crawford, took the case completely out of his hands. He was a married man and he asked the Magistrates to take a lenient view of this admittedly serious case in order to give him an opportunity of making good. His father was a highly respected retired business man. Lyons too, went on Mr. Crawford, admitted the offence.
To Safeguard Public
After a brief retirement Mr. Mark Noakes the chairman, said they had considered the case very carefully. It was one of the most disgusting cases they had ever had in the Court. The defendants had apparently tried to mislead Mr. Allemby and having gone that far, they had even misled their own solicitor. They had to safeguard the Public who bought meat for food. Lyons would be fined £5.
So far as Ganter was concerned he would be sent to prison for a month on each of the seven charges three to run consecutively and four concurrent so he would serve three months altogether.
He hoped the publicity which would be given to the case would be a warning to others to see that only sound meat got into their shops. There was plenty of about without trying to sell it. They ought to have more sense.