New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-27
r1E METROPOLITAN g0AHD OF
EaGAI.TEI.
Meeting with she Rag Deaiers-Ets Extent
md Eject on the Pu5iic GEenith-ture
hudson City 1kiiii-The Trade IN De-
funct Fish.

funct ELsI.
Almost forty persons engaged in the rag bus-
ness met yesterday afternoon at the request Of the
President of the Board OF Health, in the Metropolitan
Police Court Room. DR.. SWinburne, OF the Committee
10 whom the subject had been referred was also
present together with Commissioner Mannere. and
Col Bliss Attorney ior the Board. NJ. Schultz called
the meeting 20 order and stated that several estabsh'
ments in which the business Of buying, asserting ana
selling rags was carried had been complained OF as
puisances and that a Committee lad been appointed
by tie Board of Health 10 inquire into the manner III
which the trade affected the public Health. lie had
been informed that large quantities OF rags from Inc
Southern hospitals bad recently been received IN the
citv from Wilmington, Charleston, NeWbeTn' Sa'an-
nah and even from Texas, and that MOSES were IN
ported nom Russia, Italy. Constanilnope ~ P M i
other places which undoubtedly Were or had b9en' III
fected with disease IN various forms. lie WlSheu ~
interchange OF opinion on the subject ana also ~ ~
the views of the RAG dealers in regard 10 phte III nv
vicinity Of tie CITY 10 which the business eou 10 &c
moved should the Board after thoIous. - -l
ton decide that IL was deulmeHthl 10 tlo b'N0'"'
/ tosltb N have il remain where II now Is ,
/ A. Tc,nircs Of the firm Of Jennings Brothers No
95 PoorI st. whose business house Is among the mum
nor complained o. said De would ne Ead 70 nave tHc
establishment visited and inspected lie uehit OILY W
T,rSoraCs save the purchase OF an occasional JI {"
,rect on foreign rags III an order. lie thought te
business would not be worth DONG ut was dr'eh OUT
Thomas Jackson Of No 40 Pearl-st. stated that
very few foreign RAGS were orcncd ~ tbs cltN Ihe5
were brought here ~ bales ana soIa 70 hh.4inc
iu NeW.Jersey Massachusetts and western New loih
Sometimes bales are opened particularly Nhen iLcy
contained mixed rage for the purpose OF having mem
assorted. There Wcro places IN Tie cil "Net' Iahs
were washed and strcwn upon vacant places TO Dry
which might perhaps be 0hjcctionabe but the business
was rot in his opinion unhealthy, when carefully CON
Quoted. Ile could distinguish between hospital rags
and those that healthy. In reply 10 question: ne
stated that M bis opinion oueaa the rags sou IA hs
market were foreign. ana that ABOUT Ohe-Hai lhe W.
uorf,d rnrs were wa he'd before they cane mere III
ro, RAGS and hospital rags were taken ont Of the busi-
ness il would De perfectly healthy. lie had been III TIE
business 80 years and hal never been iil.
Mr. Foss OF No $40 Pearl g., also one Of me houses
that had been complained Of said he Aaa occA III lne
bu.incsf five wears. and kept from 20 20 20 grs con-
stautly employed in asserting rags ana had never
known one OF his employees 90 die OF smallpox OF le.c
lie dealt only in WO0iru rags which were assorted IN
his establishment and bned 20 be sent TO manufactures
whore they transformed into carpets cassmelcs
stockings ana other articles Of wearing apparel =,
Peter Mcknight OF No. 2i2 oiantonsi. SAID; MY
o,Ii sIrout ID 70 feet wide By l0O deep and buy al
kinds Of rngs ] have been In the trade 20 years ana
never was sitk. Never had man or woman Nlo was
ia NV employ sick with nuy contagious disease lave
never heard any complaints of That tud about ne lls
nose MANY persons DO not regard - as rico % have
uolr them; bat lave bought rags that had been e,
leutiy thrown OyoIn1fId from culcraut ships, ana
picked up along Che shore of Staten Island and
ia,, found TO diseases among tAom. II the Board ~
Health has determined % D1hi.h t.e rag ueh'lr
should De Glad 90 know 20 flr intend 90 remain n me
brsDes, and would Tx % make my arrangements 90
leave think thc hospital have All been disposed
OIL There large Quantities sold SOME tIar ago
but there are Few now. Thcy not as Profitable az
some other kinds and did rot IND So reaay sale a. the
old clothing that from the army. do not believe
that rags carry disease, OF they DO II is Only Tor
shot lime and tire danger IS gone before the! come
inc the market. Ra.s are sou ~ tts marker 20 inc
y1lue of SaNO00O 600 annually and tie majority are
domestic II We were thrown together 10 one part ~
The city, q few OF Le large dealers would bay all The
pioperty the trade wold occupy, aAd thus create
monopoly. Mr. President. unless you have positive
evidence that tie business BE- detrimental to tie general
health. yol should be very careful GIVE Us an oppor
tlniy 10 bring orr witnesses forward u dpc'e IN.
statements concerning injected rags and u We 90 not
show iba, the business is healthy We VIII agree 90
abide by your decision. have worked IN cellar al
uLt asserting tie RAGS that Aaa bought duTllg TIE
dav and never experienced any bad ELECTS from H.
In reply g. question Mr.. Mcknight sand there were
over 10000 persons n tbs city dependant upon me
trade and that there vas Eag.deale1a society That
numbered over 20O member lie Furthermore said
tat the Oly le was aware OF 10 prevent tbe sie
Of street rags was to lNe them carried OF with the
garbage They would De- bought 10, long a. they we're
ofrcd for nr but II iioy were Kept Of the streets
thousands of persons who made living by picking
them mp would become burdens upon pablo charity
John H.. Spinning, who does business in The Five
Points said he regarded street rags offensive but
never knew case Of illness that arose from contact
With them. lie had deals In all sorts OF rags ana bad
beep ia tie business q number Of years. In lr.1. J
foreign racs imported through one horso alone M
this city 10 the amount Of sj.t10OJ They were all
stored until sold IN warehouses principally on ne east
side OF town. Street rags are unknown both in Pla-
depbia and Boston. Foreign rags arc generally IN
washed aud very dusty.
President Schulz asked II any one know the manner
in which tie business was carried on IL London or
Paris To which Mr.. John \. Smith stated ihgi be
knew something of the business IN Manchester In /
gland and presumed IL done IN a similar manner /
IN ordon There Wa difference in two respects be. /
tween the trade there and here. In The former place
there street rags. and the business was never
done in cellars; II always upon or above the /
ground floor. Ia all other respects there 10 differ
ence ia the methods. !
Col Bliss made statement in regard 70 tie nature Of
the orders issued by the Board Oi Health after which
the meeting adjourned. We learn that II Is The incu-
ton Of the rag dealers TO call meeting for the purpose
of preoaring testimony against the theory that there j.
dagger in the business Of disseminating infectious dis
eases. Tie meeting Yesterday afternoon was charac-
tcrzed by good feeling although It was stated that
those engaged in the business were frightened, and
that prices had fallen because Of the agitation Of the
subject by the Board of Health.
PURs HUDSON CITY MILF.
Among the many practices, disclosed through the /
Medium of the Board OF Health which are interesting
10 housekecpcrs. record The following adnteralon
Of milk Three pafi- of water To one pat Of mix. 10 /
which added starch sufficient to give the mixture
proper consistency, and grease enough TO produce the
required oleaginOusnrss with small portion o roasted
sLg.r for the purpose II giving II yelowish creamy
color The discovery made by a resident OF Hud-
son City who is said 10 bring about ~ gallons OF this
del cou article Of food into the city daily and disrb
ute 10 his customers without the least conscientious
gcfuic Among other habits Of this alulieraed milk
vcndor that Of selling the mix OF diseased cows
mentioned a. being somewhat obIoKious. He is said
YEcfny 10 have lot six from the "Oid swll dis
temper but strange a. II may seem. tie complaint
does not say that the were MIXED during the ago
MES Of death. The matter has been referred to the
Sanitary Superintendent Analysis viii perhaps settle
The question OF adutcreticn: but the deceased COWS
VIII doubtless lave M Immunity from the delicate al
tenlions of the kcir0pc.;sn p"!...ee force
qHE TRADE Is FAD FISH.
The Board of Health. through Pfesdsnt Schulz ap.
pointed an inspector ol tsb. yesterday afternoon. aud
IN less than hours he found nearly 40 barrels oi
herring On board vessel at Pier No. - East Ryor,
which were inf, for food. They were lying loose upon
the deck in various stages OF decomposition. some OF
them OF con sisency similar to musl and others ap
palsntly sound They looked as If they had been sub