Evening star., 1895-09-14
A M ERICAN EAT S
How German Local Authorities Discourage
Trade in Them.
An Interesting Report From Consul
Adopted.

The Secretary of State has received a
report from United States Consul Mason
at Frankfort, Germany, on methods adopt
ed in some of the German cities to obStruct
and discourage the trade in American
meats. An agent In southern Germany for
a prominent Chicago packing firm COM
planned to the consul that restrictive meas
ures enforced by local authorities at Frei-
burg, had practically destroyed formerly
prosperous trade In that CITY,. Similar re-
strictions were threatened at Carlsruhe.
The matter was at-onceareported from the
United States consulate ITO the embassy at
Berlin, with the expectation of preventing
the Objectionable proceedings threatened at
Carlsruhe. Meantime MT. j. H. Thieriot
United States commercial agent at Frei-
burg, was instructed to make thorough
investigation as to whether official hostility
to American meats in that city was due to
the discovery of any diseased or affected
meats of American origin or was simply the
result of agrarian spirit, which would from
self-interest seek to exclude all foreign food
products which compete seriously with the
domestic supply. The report just received
is practically summary OF Mr. Thieriots
investigation. 1t was learned that in the
autumn of last year the local veterinary
physician at Freiburg had visited the prin-
cipal meat dealers and sausage makers
warning them against the use of foreign
meats, especially those coming from the
United States. Dealers were required by
decree, moreover, If they continued to offer
such meats for sale, to post in their shops
a declaration stating that the American
meats offered for sale had passed only a
superficial and insufficient inspection and
that no guarantee of their purity therefore
could be given.
Subagent Wohls the authorities stated thai
the city ordinance required all slaughtered
me ats brought into the city to be accom-
ranied by certificate of inspection, or else
,hv,otf tod ar IN nnfi fn
slaughter house, and that American salted
beef, not being provided with any certih-
cate that could be recognized must be rein
spected. This meat, it is sta ted, consists OF
beef, shoulders and sides, picked in brine
and pressed dry in air-tight casks, each
barrel being accompanied by a United
States inspection tag certificate. 1t Is used
very largely in Germany for sausage max
ing, and receipts at Freburg have amount
ed to about 1000 barrels per annum. In
all this import not a single case or piece
of diseased meat has been detected. A
United States certificate of inspection ac-
companying American beef was held by
the official veterinarian to be insufficient.
Many sausage makers refused to post the
placard required by the Freiburg decree,
deeming 1t derogatory to their Self-reSpect
as well as business interests, and discon-
tinued using American meats rather than
comply. All the sausage makers consulted
by the United States commercial agent
were unanimous that all persons who used
American meats We're satisfied with them
and would have gladly continued its use.
The result of the action of the local au-
thorities is that the trade built up at Frei-
burg has been practically destroyed, since
the local authorities would neither accept
our certificate nor inspect the meat, pre-
ferring to thus publicly discredit our meat
products. Meats of precisely similar quail
ity and origin continue to be sold in Frank
fort, where they have frequently been ex-
amned b." municipal inspectors and have
always been found wholesome and in good
condition