THE WEINBERG CASTING PEN [TO the Editor of the SiECTATon.] .
SIR,—On April 17th there appeared the report of a highly successful trial held at Leeds on March 27th, of the Weinberg Cisting pen, a machine which has several tunes been discusied in these. colunins and is designed to. obviate the 'infliction-
of
suffering when beasts are being cast- for slaughter by the Jewish method (shechita). The report was unanimous, and must carry great weight on account of the highly authoritative character of its signatories.
The chairman of the committee responsible for it was Professor Hobday; Principal of the Royal Veterinary College. The members" included the Jodrell Professor of Physiology, University of London, five veterinary offieeri in charge of slanghterhOnses (Edinburgh; Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and Birkenhead) where Shechita is practised, the kuinane Slaughter Adviser of the R.S.P.C.A., and the Secretary of the Council of Justice and Humane Slaughter Association.
The average time taken in casting, extending the head and cutting was just over nine seconds, and the committee unani- mously concluded that the methOd constitutes from the humane point of view a substantial iniprovement on the ordinary methods of casting. From the commercial point of view the most important point noted in the report is that the reflex movements of the slaughtered animals caused them in each case to eject themselves from the pen. The improvement which makes this possible thus greatly facilitates the removal of the carcases for dressing. . _ .
It is understood that the Board of "Shechita proposes to hold in .May a further trial at Islington, slaughterhouse, in which Mr. Weinberg will be invited to , compete with two other inventors. The results of this trial will be followed with great interest by those members of the public who are interested in humane slaughtering, and meanwhile it is most satisfactory to know that in the opinion of such an authoritative committee at least one approvedly humane method of casting is now available. There appears, therefore, to be no reason why inhumane casting should continue for more than a month or two at most.
Mr. Weinberg, the inventor of the pen, is to be congratulated on the degree of success which has rewarded his perseverance.
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