Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1899-01-28
WHAT PORTO RICO NEEDS.
CANNED MEAT INDICATED.
Interesting Report to Assistant Sec
retary Of War Meikeljohn on
Conditions in the Island.
THE SCHOOL SYSTEM But A SKELETON


md from the war department to
'mine the presence of any chem h
reservatives, failed to disclose
'Taces of borax, boric acid,
sulphurous acid, salicylic or iii
,at taAacid. The presence OF salt
f,as IS confirmed in all the sam
IuncbRrned beef and so.called
discovAeef, but no trace OF II was
an,onoSn the roast beef, though
arahle y was pres, to a consid-
The Test N =
The test Wilson. IN,
Secretary Vpadc under an order OF !,
Inspected, IN and l3 samples were7 u u
market and t@c chased in the open ., -
1ennrtment Nained from the war ~
from fly. 'dieehe former, eight a
were corred bee\ packing houses u
Armour Canning 70 packed by tine tine a
Nsn.ns two by f1tr the war" Sacking Co., Of
nnr. ~, ' sa,s. ~ beef. The re-
In Excellent PrA
"rhe contents of thu uo 4,
excellent preservation .ho .nr.
faces of all the cans wA ,narLodlv
concave, showing that nd amnos;
ton had begun. This waSso ;rd;.
Gated by the fact that whek o,ns
were opened there was an Nroc;,.
BILE influx of air; while in the \ \,orca
of even incipient decompositik the
surfaces of the cans are Auv
slightly convex, and On openinA
outflow of air may always be noNd
What Sometimes Appears In Canned MA
an some cans of preserved md
tendencies have been shown to the d
yelopments of class of bodies know
as ptomaines, poisonous alkaloid
bodies resulting from the decay al
change of nitrogenous materials in Il
flesh. These ptomaines, of course, a
not developed in perfectly steriliz'
packages, but they develop in tho
which are imperfectly sterlized
may develop in sterilized packag
which are opened, but not eaten +
some time after exposure to the a
1t is, therefore, highly important tn
the packages have been thorough
sterilized, that they are in good com
ton when opened, and that they a
consumed after being opened witho
any great delay.
Salt sud saltpeter Present
"The quantitativee examination of
corned and luncheon beef showed II
the amount of saltpeter present W
very small, varying from one-fifth
one per cent. to 145-hundredths of
per cent. Only in two cases did
amount exceed nine-tenths of Que
cent. The approximate amount
common salt used can be determir
very readily by the taste, and is II
urally not greater than is desired
: consumers, nor than would be ado
: in its preparation in private famlli
The per cent. of salt present was
determined by analysis.
. at is IA matter of common infori
ton that in the preparation of corr
beef, salt and salt-peter are alw
y used, whether it be in large pack
!, house or in private family.
No Lead .r TIN Yet Discovered.
!. "Only preliminary examinat
" has been made for lead and tin i'll
y contents of the cans. The method
u ploved was not sufficiently delicate
u reveal mere traces, but if these me
II were present in a sufficient quan
l. for their exact estimation it VIC
n Indicate that fact. So far as can oe
Is termined by chemical ana.s 80
is SAMPLES of meat examined were en'
lg ly appropriate for use as food.
"In many instances the tins IN
the cans were discolored, but a ear
. microscopic examination showed
. the surface of the tin in no inst;
u was eroded. The chemist divisio
ID now conducting an examination OF
" tin surfaces in order to determine
ih amount of lead they may contain.
~ results will be presented in SUI
'h mental report. The report concl'
eo as follows:
re Not to he Preferred to Frcsh Ments,
n wholesome and Nutritious.
to "preserved foods. especially mi
be are not to be preferred to the +
*, articles, except in those cases whe
he is not possible for the articles
ed fresh state to be supplied. In the
ond place it is highly important
some competent supervising agen
always present to inspect the I
en- ages when they are opened in ord
by detect any failure of complete st
Ill cation in their preparation, or any
". dences of incipient or advanced q
gh in their contents. When these
m cautions are observed there is no
its son to believe that the ingcstio
Jo- preserved meats as an article OF
Try in proper quantities and in prop
Ice balanced rations will in any way
all fere with the health or conduct @
person consuming them
Sailed for Havana.
neS 90 mi, Ir