The herald., 1895-12-05
DLACK|NTON'S WORK WRONG
The Board of Health Acts on His
Cudahy Report
IS NEARLY ALL REPUDIATED
The Packing Establishment Completely
ExOnerated
Or. Blackinton Sat by While He Was Being
Csstigated and Made but Very
Little Dsfense

Little Defense
The board Of health yesterday rcpudia-
ted almost in its entirety the report OF
DR.. J. q. Blackinton, meat and milk in
spector, upon the conditions, sanitary
aud otherwise, alleged to be prevailing
about the establishment and elaughter
house of the Cudahy Packing company
Blackinton, at the last meeting Of the
board, submitted bill OF particulars
winch the agents of the company say has
injured them and their meats thousands
of dollars worth. Action upon the matter
was then postponed until yesterday.
Some OF tne statements and insinuatiohs
in the report were so manifcstly unjust
that the Manufacturers association
thought it its duty to take the matter up.
A conn ittee of three from that body was
appointed to make a formal protest be-
fore the board of health. This was yes
tsrday submitted, and states that the
charges against the Cudahy establish
ment are untrue, and that instead OF
tearing down. all such establish ments
ought, for the sake OF the best interests
OF the whole city. to be held up.
The Cudahys had Max LOwenthal, their
attorney, befors the board yesterday, ana
he submitted the following detailed an
swer to the BlscKinton charges:
THE CHARGES ANSWERED
The Cudahy Packing company having
learned through the public press of the
charges made against said company by
Meat Inspector Blackinton in his report
filed with your honorable body, deems
the matter of suffi Gent importance to the
public yourselves and itself TO lay before
you rcfutation of those charges.
MIR. Biackintuu's report is made up
partly of insinuatons, partly as state
ments which he alleges as facts and
partly of hearssy. The insinuations are
unworthy of any public official, no matter
how petty; the statements set out as facts
are false, and the matters stated as nearsay
have been distorted either on their way
TO Mr.. Blackinton or on their way from
him IN his report to your honorable
body. Moreover, Mr.. Blackinton deals
largely with matters that have absolutely
no place, properly, in the report OF n meat
inspector. The report indicates on It's
face lack of good judgment, or Il prelu-
dice against the company, or the infiu
ence Of designing persons wishing to
profit by the injury that might by such
report be done to the business of the COM
pany.
Thus Mr.. Blackinton says, referring
to the situation OF the packing house.
"Being located on the railroad with
switch extending along the entire front,
il is possible TO unload and slaughter
stock which may have been injured or
taken sick on the journey without h'ing
observed. Now, passing by tie Gratul-
tous insinuation that the company kills
diseased stock is it not clear to man
of ordinary common sense that the plant
,otr
within the city limits is more easily and
constantly subject to inspection than the
other slaughter houses which are situated
five or six miles out vi town
Again, MT. Rsckinton says: Cattle
killed here (refering to the Cudahy
Packing company plant are frequently
small and inferior in quality, and not
always healthy. but the refrigerating pro-
cess given the meat makes it possible to
place it on the market in successful COM
petition with the meat of other dealers,
which. although of superior quality,
lacks the tirmness and colur which quick
refrigeration only can give. Now,
meat inspectors duty is limited to de
termining whether the meat is he althy
or diseased. Whether the cattle are
small or inferior in quality is no part OF
his business. With reference to the size
and condition of the cattle killed by us,
we herewith submit the report of Mr..
Gerstley. The best test of the weight
and condition OF an animal, or one of
the BEST is its hide. The hide always
pears certain proportion to the weight
of the animal. Mr.. Gerstley, who buys
from all the slaughterers, has maze
comparative table from which it mathe-
matically appears that our cattle, instead
cf being smaller than or inferior To the
cattle of our competitors, AS Mr.. Black
linton says, are in TACT heavier and super
ior. But what has II meat inspector TO do
with the question of whether the meat OF
other dealers is or is not superior quail
ityY And what has he to do with the
question as to whether the meats OF one
butcher do or do not come i'll successful
mpetition with the meats of other deal
ers?
b Above remarks of Mr.. Blackinton fur
nish a fair indication OF the general spirit
that prevades his entire report and we
leg now TO take up specifically the sever
al sections OF his report:
We do not know to what requests of
your honorable body Mr.. Blackinton re-
fers in making his report. But so far as
his doubts are concerned as to the adj
visibility of permitting this plant TO be
maintained III Los Angeles, ana SO far
as the climate of Los Angeles bearing
upon that subject is concerned, we wish
to say:
That the Cudahy Packing company
has invested in the city of Los Angeles
something like $3.50 900, and that before
the packing house was esta blisned here
the entire matter was laid before the city
council, and the proposed method OF OPP
Grating the same was fully explained and
discussed. The matter was approved by
the council; an ordinance was passed
permitting the Strengthening to take place
in the manner and at the place contem-
plated; that ordinance was signed by the
mayor, and upon the strength of that
action OF the municipal authorities the
packing house was located. Every repre-.
sentation ana every promise made mt that
time has been fulfilled, and the packing
house is today one OF the very largestand
m ost I'M portant of our local industries, land
has the good will Of the public i'll gener-
al, of the business community and of
the people Interested in the growth and
welfare OF the city. One hundred and
thirty-tiye persons are on its pay roll
over three quarters of a million Of dollars
has been paid for live stock within the
past year. mostly within the state; more
than 40, 600 hogs have been killed within
the past year: aud the packing COMPANY,
In addition to affording employment to
many people, aud largely developing
and patronizing home industries as,
for instance, oil for fuel to the amount Of
10000 within the past year furnishes
for the conducting of additional
Industries. and is Il ready cash market
At market prices for every hog. sheen