The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-28
TO PROTECT STOCK RAIsERs.

Pennsylvanians Want Legislation
 Against Western Dressed Beef.
 At the coming session of the state legislature efforts will be made to se- cure legislation to protect the interests .of Pennsylvania stock raisers and wholesale butchers. The movement is yet in an embryonic state, but it is hoped to sufficiently agitate it to win success.
 For over ten years past stock raising for profit in this state has rapidly de- cAned, owing to the sharp competition With western meat monopolies, which secured controlling interest In the meat market. This competition, the wholesale butchers of this city declare. Will ultimately ruin the business if no steps are taken to prevent it. At the last session of the state leg stature a Dill was introduced, and subsequently, Killed In committee, providing for a rigid inspection of all imported meats and live cattle. It was thought that such a law would serve to check the western meat business, but the bill was declared to be in violation of the inter- state commerce law.
 Pennsylvania, West Virginia ana Ohio cattle are regarded as the finest in the world. The cattle are in every re- spect superior to prairie-ralsed stock that is marketed in Chicago. but that IS not the point in dispute. The stocl. dealerS and butchers in this city claim that eastern Pennsylvania is made the dumping ground for Chicago and Kan sas City beef of inferior quality. No precautions can be observed under tba present law to secure only haaIthfu, meats and find the large nunberE of interruptions retail butchers who sell western beef under the guise of citv- dressed beef serves to increase the evil.
 Phlladelphia receives the best live stock. and the demand for it's dresss d meat among well-informed people is enormous and steadily increasing. Both the government and the city have reg ularly appointed inspectors, whose bus mess 1t Is to make a thorough examin- ation of all live cattle as they are brought to the slaughter house. Cattle in any way diseased are condemned, and, without redress to the owners, abandoned to fertilizing factories. Live animals which in any manner indicate tuberculosis or other disease are turn ed aside, and only those considered sound sent to the slaughter house. When the animals are killed their lungs and stomachs are taken out and fur ther search for disease germs made. The slaughter houses and the storage refrigerators are kept in cleanly condi- tion.
 Charles W. Welker, who conducts a private slaughter house, said: "When western meats were first shipped to the east there was a great demand for them, persons believing them to pos- sess some superior qualities. These ideas were, however, soon dispelled, but now western meats have gained such control in our markets that persons do not know where to secure city dress ed meats. Some legislative action must be taken to protect these interests, or in the course of five or ten years Penn sylvania will have no stock industry.
 stock raising, which, ten or fifteen years ago, was carried on by every farmer in Lancaster, Chester, and Cum berland counties at a profit, is now car ried on by less than 50 per cent. of the farmers. Drovers who usually made handsome money in the sale of cattle are being driven out of the business. The wholesale butchers likewise suffer because they cannot complete with western meats. s."-Philadelphia Times.