The herald., 1897-02-07
THE AMERICAN HOG
A DISAPPOINTMENT
To the Agrarian Party in
Germany
OFFICIAL INSPECTORS REPORTS
Only Prove the Truth Of Am.
erican Claims
NO TRICHINAE IS REVEALED
Except Where Original Packages Have
Been Tampered With
Allegation Of Diseased Condition Not Accom-.
panied by Proof
The Report Is Considered So Favorabls to the
American Product That II Will
Not Be Made
Public
Except Where Original Packages Have
Been Tempered With
Allegation Of Diseased Condition Not Accom-.
panied by Proof
The Report Is Considered So Favorabls to the
American Product That 1t Will
Not Be Made
Public
Associated Press Special Wire

The Forthcoming government report on
the cases of trichinae- affected pork Of
fered for sale in Prussia during the Pc
riod from July 1, 1896, to January l.
1897, and seized by the authorities, will
be sore disappointment to the Prussian
government and still more so to the
Agrarian party, both of which have all
along contended that the United States
sends trichinous pork, despite the re-
ports to the contrary accompanying
each package of meat. In the Prussian
diet as well as in the reichstag and In
the German press, and likewise In the
official correspondence between the gov
ernments, it has for years been ernphat-
ically stated that the American certifi-
Gates testifying to the healthy condition
of the exported pork, both canned. and
smoked or salted, are not trustworthy,
and that in many instances trichinae has
been discovered by the German meat in
spectors in such Certified" meat after
delivery here. This claim has never
been admitted by the American govern
ment, but to all demands to substanti-
ate it with more than allegation, tho
Prussian government has turned a deaf
ear. though reiterating the claim from
time to time. A few cases of alleged
American trichinous pork, which were
cited by the Prussian government in
support of its claims, turned out, on in
vestigations instituted by the American
embassy here, as fictitious, or, at least,
unproven. In one single case, 1t was last
spring, and they did believe that lot Of
ID ooIr
tain trichinae, but those packages had
been sent by the American exporters
over a year before, and the fact that tho
marks on the packages had been tam
pered with was evident, so that the con-
cluSion was that the German packer
had simply used the American packages
a second time. In other cases the for
mer Prussian reports contained such
meager notices as the cases of Ameri-
can trichinous pork in Cologne" two
cases ditto in Salzwede," ETC., ETC., but
when the attempt was made to identify
those cases by demanding the number
of the certificate, such number could not
be produced. The American embassy
thereupon insisted that each case Of al
legged trichinouS pork hereafter be ac-
companted In the official Prussian re-
port by the number of the American cer-
tiicate. Against this demand, which
the American government hoped would
show the utter groundlessness of the
Prussian claims, the Prussian govern
ment made resistance in various forms
for some length of time, but last spring,
at last, they were induced to promise to
comply with it. Instructions were is
sued by the Prussian minister for the in
terror to all the presidents of the govern
ment districts of Prussia to add in every
instance where trichinae had been found
in American pork such details numbers
of certificates and facts which might en-
able the American government to trace
the offending shippers at home. The
forthcoming report is the result of this
decree.
The reports from the presidents of the
thirty-three government districts COM
prising the Prussian monarchy have
now reached the Prussian minister for
the interior. In only five of these dis
tricts is there any report of alleged
American trichinous pork, but these
reports, in disregard of the instructions
issued by the Prussian minister for the
interior, are unaccompanied by the nee
essary proof which would establish the
fact that the pork in question was really
of American origin, and had been seized
in the original American packages be-
fore others had had chance to tamper
with it. Hence even these cases, of
which there are thirteen all told, are
worthless and do not prove the trichi-
nous character of American pork, even
in a single instance. These cases are
reported from Munster, Westphalia, Po-
merania, Coslin, Linden, Hanover. Ha-
dersleben. Ischleswig and Altoona, near
Hamburg.
Each package Of imported American
pork is accompanied by a register num-
ber and with certificate from the
American meat inspector at the place
of shipment, bearing the same number.
In nf @1
numbers given. The American embassy
will, therefore, dispute that these cases
of trichinous pork are of American
origin. So far, therefore, as this govern
ment is concerned, it amounts to a vim
dication of American pork This report
Will be ready for publication about
March l or sooner. Meanwhile it will 80
through the hands of the chiefs of the
dli1erent departments both in the min
istry of the interior and of the ministry
of husbandry. If the American embas-
sy is able to obtain this report, it will
be sent to Washington. 1t is likely, how
ever that the report, since it is so much
more favorable to American meat inter-
ests than was expected, will not be for.
warded to the American embassy at all,
as it is surmised on the Prussian side
that it would only furnish the American
government the means to disprove the
allegations made so often and so per.
sistently to the discredit of American
pork.
A number of statements have been
made in the Prussian diet to the effect