The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-02-17
What Has Been Done for American Meat
I'm Foreign Countries.

heauinE.
What Has Been Done for American Meats
I'm Foreign Countries.
When the present administration came
into power there was no class of people
In the country whose prospect looked
less bright than the farmers; so much
so, that agricultural depression had be-
come familiar term among speakers
and writer's of all classes and of all par
ties. 1t was clear that much depended
upon the new head of the Department
OF Agriculture, whoever he might be.
To fill this important post, TO repre-
sent the agricultural interests in the
cabinet of the President of the United
States, and to direct the machinery of
the department devoted especially to
the advancement of the farmers inter
ests, President Harrison selected man
whose entire life had been so spent rs
TO assure to him an experience which
could not but be valuable in such stu
alton. Brought up on farm, owning
and tilling farm throughout
his entire life, and consequently thor
oughly familiar with the wants and diff
ficulties, and the views of the farmers
themselves, he was withal man hav-
ing business qualifications, wonderful
energy and administrative abilities, Of
which he has furnished ample evidence
In several important public positions,
as a member of the state legislature, as
congressman, as commander of a regi-
ment in the field and as governor of a
great state.
To review in detail the work accom-
plished under an administration so
auspiciously begun, down to the present
1Irn oh tor
For the present we will select but one
feature of the vast work accomplished
under Secretary Rusk's administration,
namely the breaking down of the arti-
fetal barriers erected against American
meat products in foreign countries.
In Germany, France, Austria-Hun-
gary, Italy, and other European coun
tries, the importation of American hog
products had been absolutely prohibited
in 1881, and very few figures will show
the damage inflicted on American agrl-
culture by these harsh and unnecessary
laws. By reliable authorities it was es-
timated that the requirement of imme-
date slaughter by Great Britain depre-
ciated the price of American cattle in
that market from $40 to Sl5 per head as
compared with Canadian bullocks ad-
mitted without restriction. Even at the
lower figure this meant at the rate of
expectation prevailing during the past
few years. direct loss of about 81, 000,-
900 per annum, and for the period dur
ing which the prohibition has been en-
forced, over 100000 900; but the indi-
rect losses were necessarily far greater,
tor this depression affected the price OF
every steer marketed in the United
States, loss estimated by the best in
formed cattle dealers as aggregating in
the neighborhood of $25 ,000, 900 yearly,
while as to sheep and hogs, the restric-
ton practically effected a prohibition of
the export trade.
Such situation of affairs very
promptly attracted the attention of Sec
rotary Rusk and he at once resolved
upon the measures necessary to meet,
to abate If not to remove, these obsta-
cles to our trade.
To assure ourselves of the absolute
healthfulness of all cattle shipped
abroad, a system OF inspection and
identification was undertaken and sue
cessfully established, in spite of the
declarations from many sources that
such vast undertaking could not pos
sibly be carried out successfully. Under
this system about 400, 900 individual an
imals have been annually inspected,
and each one numbered and tagged for
rival at the foreign port, and We need
hardly say, the British officials rem
dered so conservative in their diagnosis
of Amer can imported animals that, for
more than year past, only three COM
plants of this kind have reached us,
which have been conclusively proven
unfounded.
The energetic measures adopted by
the administration in this regard, has
led the antagonists of our live cattle
trade abroad to seek other grounds upon
which to oppose it. Humanitarians
were invoked, and quite successfully. to
oppose this trade on the ground of the
sufferings entailed upon the cattle trans
ported, cases not being difficult to find,
where, on vessels unprovided with the
necessary facilities for the proper care
and feeding of the animals, considera-
BILE suffering has been entailed. AS
soon as it was found that this move
ment was assuming proportions liable to
interfere with our trade, and obtaining
recognition and consideration in the Brit
ish Parliament, short bill was drafted
in the Department Of Agriculture, and
presented by the Secretary.to Congress,
where it was soon passed, empowering
him to direct and control the interior
fittings of all cattle carrying vessels en-
gagged In foreign trade, anC making the
certificate of an officer of the depart
ment, rs to due compliance with the in
structions of the Secretary in these par
ticulars, essential to the clearing of the
vessel by the custom-house authorities.
The movement undertaken on humani-
tartan grounds was thus Immediately
checkmated, humanitarians themselves
being promptly satisfied by the meas
ures adopted by the secretary of agri-
culture for the protection Of animals in
transit.
Another effort was made towards the
same end, grounded on the alleged ex-
istence among animals exported from
this country, of Texas fever and the
danger of conveying the same to cattle
in Great Britain, while, for reasons OBJ
yIous to every well-informed veterina-
ran who has studied this disease, such
knger was purely imaginary. The
Secretary concluded that action would
be more efficient than argument, and
Immediately adopted such measures in
reference to the transportation of cat
tie in this country from south of the
fever line, as not only greatly mitigated