The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-31
HEAVY LOSS TO PACKERS,
Secretary Morton's Order Will
Take 100000 Out of San
Francisco.
Butchers Board of Trade and Manufac
turers' Association Seek to Prevent
the Difficulty.

The meat-paekers Of the City view with
great deal of alarm the recent decision
OF Secretary OF Agriculture Morton TO en-
force the law requiring Government in
spection Of canned or packed meats before
expectation. They say that if the order to
the local customs department directing
rigid enforcement OF the conditions of the
act on and after January l is insisted on,
it will mean Il loss of not less than half a
million of dollars TO the packers Of San
Francisco. They are accordingly deyoting
themselves to an effort to secure an extern
sion Of time to March l.
The law in question is an act passed by
Congress in 1891 TO offset the mbargo
placed upon American meat by France
and Germany prior TO that time. 1t con-
templates Government inspection OF all
meats packed or canned in the United
States for foreign expectation and provides
for the appointment OF inspectors TO carry
on the work Hitherto the law has been
enforced only in a cursory manner and
Chicago and New York and a few other
Eastern cities are the only places where in
spectors have been appointed. No proyi-
sion whatever has been made for the en-
| forcement OF the law on the Pacific Coast
/ and the packers in the West have been al
| lowed TO proceed as before its enactment
4
alarming the local packers.
| The packing season OF the coast is Octo-
| Der, November and December and the ex-
/ tent OF the pack is governed la rgely by the
future orders received before or at the be-
| ginning of the season for January and
| February delivery.
| Such orders TO the amount of $500, 600
or over have been contracted for by the
various firms ofthe City, aud as the season
! is drawing to close the pack is nearly up.
The meat TO fill these orders cannot be de-
| liyered before January and must therefore
be thrown away If an extension OF time
/ cannot be secured and therefore become a
total loss, as it will be impossible to find
sale elsewhere than TO the contracting par
ties IN the time intervening betw cen now
and January.
Nor is this the only phase of the case
! that is troubling the packers. They have
all given bonds TO fulfill their January
and February contracts in the cases OF the
greater numb of their orders and will be
held responsible should Secretary Nor
toms order prevent them from filing their
orders with the meat packed for that pur-
pose.
Sam C. Hammond. president OF the
Butchers Board OF Trade, is engaged in
an effort TO bring about a proper adjust
ment OF the difficulty. He has written q
letter TO Secretary Morton explaining the
| situation the great losses the packing in
terests of the coast will suffer and asking
for continuance Of the time of It's going
into effect to March l and the immediate
appointment OF the Inspector.
II this Is done the loss will not be great
but there will still be a loss, for pending
the Secretary's decision the packing houses
are st standstilI and the whole industry
is paralyzed.
The Manufacturers and Producers As
ISOLATION views the situation with equally
grave apprehensions and has taken the
matter in hand. 4 communication has beer
sent 10 Secretary Morton asking for q
speedy and definite action that will pro-
tect San Francisco's interests, and the
congressman of the State have been asked
to impress upon Secretary Morton the
import and urgency OF the request.