SLAUGHTER - the Public Health Act, 1875, an urban authority has power to provide slaughter-houses and make bye-laws with respect to their management and charges for their use. The owner or occupier of a slaughter-house must obtain a licence therefor or register it, and, within one month after the licensing or registration of the premises, conspicuously and legibly affix thereon the words," Licensed slaughter-house" or "Registered slaughter-house," as the case may be. For not complying with this requisition he incurs a penalty of £5, and ten shillings for every day during which the offence continues after conviction. The licensing and regulation of slaughter-houses is also dealt with in the Towns Improvement Clauses Act, 1847, and the Public Health Act of 1890. The latter Act requires notice to be given in the event of a change of occupation of a slaughter-house, and it also provides for the revocation of the licence on a conviction for sale of meat unfit for food. This provision is in the following terms :—" If the occupier of any building licensed as aforesaid to be used as a slaughter-house for the killing of animals intended as human food is convicted by a court of summary jurisdiction of selling or exposing for sale, or for having in his possession, or on his premises, the carcase of any animal, or any piece of meat or flesh diseased or unsound, or unwholesome or unfit for the use of man as food, the court may revoke the licence." Knackers' yards.—In respect of places outside the metropolis there are certain provisions of the Knackers' Acts of 1786, 1844, and 1849 which still remain in force. The first of these Acts recites that it was passed as a remedy for the evil practice of stealing horses, cows, and other cattle, which " hath of late years increased to an alarming degree, and hath been greatly facilitated by certain persons of low condition who keep houses or places for the purpose of slaughtering horses and other cattle." Accordingly every person keeping a slaughtering-house must take out a licence—now granted by the local district council—and also affix over the door a notice containing his name, with the words, " Licensed for slaughtering horses, pursuant to an Act passed in the twenty-sixth year of His Majesty King George the Third." Previous notice must be sent to the inspector when horses and cattle, not intended for butcher's meat, are about to be killed ; and the killing must take place between 8 A.M. and 4 r.m. from October to March, and 6 A.M. and 8 P.M. during the remaining part of the year. The owner of the slaughtering-house should keep an account of the owners of the horses and cattle brought to him for slaughter ; and he must admit an inspector upon his premises at any time. In case any one brings horses or cattle and refuses to give an account of himself, or of the means by which they came into his possession, or if the owner suspects they have been wrongfully obtained, then the owner must give such person into custody. It is a misdemeanour for the owner to destroy
hides and skins. Curriers, felt-makers, tanners and dealers in hides are exempt from these provisions when they kill distempered animals ; but they, and collar makers, are liable to a penalty for wilfully killing sound or useful horses. By the Act of 1844 a penalty is imposed upon any one Is ho wantonly or cruelly ill-treats horses and cattle, or obstructs an inspector in the execu tion of his duty ; constables are also given power to enter licensed premises. Sections 7 to 11 of the Act of 1849 prohibit a person licensed to slaughter horses frotn acting as a dealer, and they also lay down, with a view to prevention of cruelty, the conditions under which slaughterers are to receive and keep animals pending their slaughter. See HORSEFLESH.
is the name given to the informal note or memorandum which is drawn up and passes between the parties when a contract of marine insurance is entered into. The term " covering note " is also used in the same connection. A slip must be initialled in order to give it legal value as a promise to grant a policy ; until the initialling no contract is legally con cluded. A slip retains some importance even after a stamped policy has been issued, for it is available as evidence to show that the contract was in fact concluded, and also for the purpose of rectifying or avoiding the policy. See MARINE INSURANCE ; OPEN COVER.
SMALL administration in small eases.— When a petition is presented by or against a debtor, if the Court is satisfied by affidavit or otherwise, or the official receiver reports to the Court, that the property of the debtor is not likely to exceed in value .e300, the Court may make an order that the debtor's estate be administered in a summary manner. Thereupon the general provisions of the Bankruptcy Acts are subject to the following modifications :—(1) If the debtor is adjudged bankrupt the official receiver will be the trustee in the bankruptcy ; (2) There will be no com mittee of inspection, but the official receiver may do, with the permission of the Board of Trade, all things which may be done by the trustee with the permission of the committee of inspection ; (3) Other special modifications are made by the Bankruptcy Rules, with the view of saving expense and simplifying procedure ; but there is no modification of the statutory pro visions relating to the examination and discharge of the debtor. Notwith standing the foregoing, however, there is reserved to the creditors the right at any time, by special resolution, to resolve that some person other than the official receiver be appointed trustee in the bankruptcy ; and thereupon the bankruptcy proceeds as if an order for summary administration had not been made. See BANKRUPTCY.