The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-10
BEARD MAKES MEAT BETTER.
WILDER TOLD THE COMMISSION 1T
IMPROVED WITH AGE.

Went Into n General Description OF
How the Meat Business Is Con-
ducted-ManitOba's shipment the
Only One northumberland That
Any Chemicals Were Used to Pre-
serve It-Swift's Representative
on the stand.
Washington, Jan 9-Fred w. Wilder.
general superintendent for Swift & Co.
of Chicago, appeared before the war n
vesugating commission to-day
The witness said he had general charge
of al the packing, canning and slaughter
ing of cattle for the Chicago plant, and
save a general account of the practical
working of the meat business
de said that all the cattle were examined
both before and after killing. and num-
Der were condemned each week. The con-
domination was mostly due to tuberculosis.
The condemned animals are tagged by
the Inspectors, and the carcass goes to the
refuse tank, where the only use made of il
IS to take the grease for lubricatine mr.
poses, and the remainder for fertilizers
The good meat is stamped by the govern
ment Inspector and certified for the mar
ket.
The beef is cooled for forty-eieht hours
before shipping, the temperature being run
down gradually from As TO 36 or 3S a.
grees. The shipping cars are thoroughly
washed and aired between each sh;pment
and are cooled by ire and salt. The tenn,
perature in the cars is from SO to S6 Ex
port beef is enclosed in a cheese cloth
nag to keep il clean, and to prevent chat
ing. There are icing s.aiions every TWEEN
ty-tonr hours on each railroad shipping
line, and the cars are reiced that often.
The Beard on the Meat.
The contract with the government called
for the best fat steers, not less than SEQ
pounds for dressed carcasses. These snec
lncatlons were compiled with. Referring
TO the much-discussed beard" on the re-
rrlgerator meat, Mr. Wilder said the large
wholesale dealers who supplied the hest
hotels in Chicago "aged" all their beef
before selling II, and got an advance price
for it after it accumulated the beard n,
said the meat was better in every respact
after being aged.
As 70 complaints regarding the army
contract beef he said the Manitoba shin
ment was the only one condemned. This
was shipped July 80, and was not thrown
The witness denied that any chemicals
We're used in preserving any of the meat
sold by his firm and said that an addition
TO other objections 1t would be suseless
would be a detriment to the beef. and an
extra expense. The beef for export was
not the best beef, but fair quality
Meat Business in General
Several other witnesses testified along
the same lines
G. F. Swift, the head of the firm of Swift
& Co of Chicago. was also examined.
Mr.. Swift, at the request of the commits
sion went into a general description of the
beef business from time the cattle reach
ed the stock yards till they landed in the
retail butcher shops. This testimony had
been largely anticipated by the recital of
his superintendent, Mr.. Wilder, earlier In
the day.
AS to the export business of his com
pany, Mr.. Swift said they killed approx
mated 100000 head annually, and of this
over S5,900,OO0 pounds were exported to
London and Liverpool amounting in value
to $6,655, IA. The quality of beef sent to
Cuba and Porto Rico, he said, was lust
about the quality demanded by the New
York trade.
Regarding chemicals, Mr. Swift said
most positively he had never used them
in all his forty years experience as a
butcher and he knew of no chemical that
could be used with advantage to either
the seller or consumer.