The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-02
prFF CONTRACT is CLEAR.
orr MANY WITNESSES DISPLAY IG-
ih' ynRIyCE or ITS TERMS.

,Y~amina'Ions " witnesses before the
f,,liry appointed to Investigate Gen.
- ,h,rge- about the beef supply Of the
NJ i,rin, Tie war with Spain there has been
a.,,si A remarkable difference oil opinion
-, swift 4 Co.. Gen. Eagan. Gen. Miles
w Va am, others a. TO the meaning OF the con-
80, waIp " N Swift & Co. for the supply OF
uun-.sr,.eI leef. aai particularly as to how
49,, ,ha meat vas required to keep good after
=, Al, the refriE"rators. Gen. Miles ana zen.
va, seem {, have been under the impress
.Io that the contractors mad guaranteed that
A.. m,,' would keep good Tor seventy-two
s.r-s After II EFT the re'rigerators. and That
49,, m md got abroad aud was made the
h,,s o. some Violent attacks upon the con-
.S.".ors and the authorities at Washington
..,u TuE srv picked the bubble bv printing
-. Trina AGO that part Of the contract which
..,.rrad % the seventy-tw0.hour clause. This
.orsd ,ha; the contractors had merely guar
$50 "a keen the meat seventy-two hours in
.t,,. re,rige-atora. where this was required
~ ham and that the clause was inserted rath-
"a nrcta,tion to them against having to
g., Il thus Indefinitely at . great expense.
a., A An advantage to the Government
rh. contracts upon the face Of them seem
nave been;caretullv.and clearly drawn. aud.
.,I,., there we're Understandings apart from
A.. az 10 how they we're 10 be carried out. It
...u. remarkable that there should be any
.a.s,,, az 10 the meaning Of their provisions.
m. contracts Tor the supply OF beef to Porto
p,.o and Cuba were separate. but were en-
,s-.dIn' at about the same time. and their gen.
40, ,rov' sions are identical. The first section
guard, particularly against the possibility OF
IN. contractor having IN subject the meat to
rndne exposure IN, transferring IT from the
T.,rtgerator cars to the cold rooms In the trans
p1rts. and Il reads. "a toiiowsi
~" The party Of the second part shall fur
ntsh q. the Gnited states. i9r ths use OF the
SSafTieerated. ,htlIed or frozen beef in bulk,
delivered at pointso on the seac 2ast OF the island
q roTt9 RICO occboied, r5 Sy IN, ,i' = army in time ni 'h ne
lad Tor by CCmmtSsary-Ceuera OF Sub
ssi.ience ,! the United states Armv; The
make sbipments only at such ports OF the
Tnted states 40 have tracks connecting rail-
s6ads with docks whereby shipments OF fresh
beef may he transferred directly from cars TO
thip refrlgeiatnrs.'
The next section provides for the care OF meat
n transportation and on shore. and Il Is clear
xtich WEI 20 ; q supplied were t, be KEEP on
the ssacoa-t and not in and. II reads:
,,e 4 chilled or or fhr"'l,en beef Under this con-
tract It shall. IN the opinion II the Commits
saty-Generai 81 subsistence. he necessary to
EQUIP with refriEera'ing apraratus. machines
And rt,ings, steamships In addition to those
now in tie military service SO equipped. the
party Of the second uarf shall. at their OWL eX.
tormlssary General OF Subsistence shall re-
Quire. not exceeding three. The retrigera-
tors TO he s%urnliei 70 these additional shtps
eral oi subsistence shall direct. but OF size not
!ess than three hundred thousand 100000
rounds each: II being understood that the
amount O. beet o, each cargo shall he reason
shIv Commensurate with the c~auacity OF the
refrlgeratlng plant aboard the vessel: They
orerate refrigerator buildings at such points
in the island OF Porto Rico occupied by the
army Of the United states as MAJ, be nsces-
sary for carving out the object OF this con-
tract. and shall move the saue from point. to
point on the Iaac a-t a. mas be necessary for
the support o' moving troops.
They shall keep not less than two eXperts
with each cargo N s%hiploari and after land
ipc unit. the beef T. delivered 10 the proper
of ars Of the @%yrEn@enf ~ Tf hoH, shs rom not The he
time OF storing same In such refrigarat0rs. II
being understood thai the rarity OF the first
part will furnish locations for such retrigera-
tors under military protection and as near the
potn. Of transfer as the commanding General
car designate. at which ships carrying the re-
titsr-r', .nT 1'nSt1 shai. land Tor r he 1amsla5es
O, This section provides merely for the free
rans1ortattcn OF the contractors, men and
materials and for selling subsistence stores 70
The third section describes the quality OF
the meat ~ be furnished and how il is to re
fresh beef tN'Se furnished by the PARTY Of the
eecond TART under this contract shall be Of uni
Government insrected weighing not less than
carcss-, ard shell be refrigerated. chilled or
frozen In quantities according as 1t shall be
called for by the Com missary-General of Sub
s~i'tence. United States Army. 1t Is to he
from fore and rtud quarter test rroportionalIy
~inrllding all the best cuts thereof. necks cut
OF n. the fourth vs-tebral lOin and breasts
!'immet down. shapks ,of torequarters, cut of
h.'nlGuar'ers eight .nrhs aoov. the hook Joint.
Necks, shanEs and kidney tallow excluded
from delivery. The bee is TO be properly
r~ro'ecti,'n and proper handling aud 40 pre-.
serysi BY the refriGe ration on shirboarl and
a. ne Teirtgerstor buildings referred 70 IN ",
s,oof and At for use seventv.'wo 10 hour.
stsr being issued from the shin's re:riRera'
nr3per officers ~ the Government"
Sen,ion re,ates only to the ownership o
70 steam tn he furnished for loading. unload
ine an retrtgsratinc; and section , provides
tn4t Io.ses from reri!s Of war or acts - III,
sfa'As and Al others hv the contractors. Sec
ton 3 provides for the c~opdemniug of mea
SThen the government Ulcers consider 1t un
whica IN the Porto Rico contract was q 3a-lO
s.tts a pound Section $ says that no mem
Belonging - or .mrlovet in the military ser
wee OF the Government shall have any interes
10 the c~or'rar'. and section 9. the last t. tn
contract. provides that the contract hall re
man IN Tore Tor three months from IFS date
Srlonge- II The Government so desired, but no
beyond Dec. n. lS1S.
me ting which seems 20 stand out cIsarl
u ne contract Is 'hs careful way In which I'll
Ltsrest- ~ he contractors were guarded, an
yrs most important, for It DESTROYS a. one
~ Incentive which might otherwise have eN
lsNl Tor The use ~ any ether means uf rre
HeryIng the meat than plain refrigeration
me ,,orCe~t time that the contractors guar
snteef 'h- meat to Keen outside the refrigera
1si.t wenty-foVr hours. According To me-
shI have had experience in handling refriger
ttel meats n not climates, This IL a aar
!ehith, ~ time 70 eNrec' them tn keen COCO
GINVilnS fhAT are properly protected from m
olrec' heat ~ the sun anil the climate Is raa
tonahv t-v II IS dorhtad by them whethe
10 thNImotst climate - Cuba rea' could BE- kpr
so.nnG : was.fNlnd mDossihle. or AZ least I'm
prar''ca' "a NJ Cuba. 70 sol uv.tha shore refrig
etat'r~,.an u Is Hssertedthnt N agraAnen
Nas arrived a. there between the contract 4
eni ne 'i'ar7 authorities thar the contrar
Sc, '.Ls'rrAd that the shiuS refrigerator
l'.l ne " n~-itnred as shore refrigerator
aHl ,hht tNe iA'veries wee 10 he made fr0r
'1eSe. And re"-ivAi suhr-rt TO rhA:prnvisiou
ne '~7nfra"' regarding shore delivery. 7
tLdt case the VfwDs' tina thai tho beef won,
e 'H' Ire! ~ Aeep wor'd have been twen'y
'ogt hours from the tine T. left the shir's sid,
IN" contract 70 supply beef for Cuba was en-
pSrel ~" on July ] and that for the Errrly
LnTo hI"r Vas made on july ~. l.twee
nfre TWO L'2tA Amos the whole active cam