The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-02
OUR BEEF
ALL RIGHT
Serious Charges
Are Promptly
Met.
MEAT
NOT COMING HERE
Official Refutation of a Libel in the
Butchers and Stock.Grow-
ers' Journal.

Some weeks ago the Advertiser re-
ceiyed paper called the Butchers and
stock Growers Journal, which display
ed the charge, under huge headlines.
that tuberculous meat from Baden.
Cal, was being shipped to Honolulu.
There was evidence of untruth in the
article, and instead of printing it, this
paper turned over the matter for in
yestigation to W. T. Monsarrat, the
local meat inspector. He sent a trans
cript of the article in the Butchers and
Stock Growers Journal to the Depart
ment of Agriculture at Washington,
getting this reply from D. E. Salmon,
Chief of the Bureau of Animal Indus
try:
W. T. Monsarrat, Esq, Honolulu, Ha-
waiian Islands:
Dear Sir-Replying to your letter of
the 10th uitimo, it appears 10 me that
the typewriter article which you send
as coming from the Butchers and
Stock Growers Journal OF Saturday,
February 2, 1901, bears on It's face the
evidence of being d biased If not Il
belous publication.
This department has inspection at the
abattoir of the Western Meat Compa-
ny, and had at one time inspection at
several other abattoirs in the vicinity
L o..
requested the withdrawal of inspection,
on the ground that they only killed for
local consumption, but presumably be-
cause they preferred not TO have con-
demnation of carcasses which they
handled. The Western Meat Company
is. 1 understand, run by eastern CAPT
tai, and there has been bitter fight
by the local slaughter houses to pre-
vent their carrying on successful
business. The article which you for
ward has the appearance of being
part of that fight. 1 have not been
TO San Francisco, but it has been rep
resented TO me that the greater part
slaughter houses, which accords with
what I know of the Slaughtering bust
ness in other cities
I see no reason to suppose that the
refrigerating process as applied by the
Western Meat Company differs in any
respect from that applied by other
abattoirs, or that there Is any reason
TO suppose that the meat loses its nu-
tritious qualities and becomes abso-
lutely dangerous to human health be-
cause of their method of refrigerating.
This. on the face of 1t, is not a plausi-
BILE statement. The reference TO the
alleged deadly experience of our army
in Cuba with embalmed and refrigerat-
ed meats is the resurrection of an old
| lie which was exploded by the careful
investigation OF the war department.
The allegation that Government In
spactors are liable TO strange changes
in their inspections when the plethoric
purse has been passed around to their
ever itching palms" is also libel, and
one which, so far as l know, has no
facts to support it. The reference to "a
fragrant case of supplying tuberculosis
| beef is, I believe, equally untrue
When the case was tried piece or
beef was brought into the courtroom
which was alleged to have been in
spected by government officials, and a
meat inspection tag was placed upon
| it. The piece of meat with the tag was
pf.otogra phed, and the photograph was
widely distributed by interested par
ties. The photograph plainly showed,
however, that the tag was not attach
ed TO the beef, but was simply laid
upon it, and was of no value whatever
| as means of identification. We at
tach inspection tags with a wire and
| lead seal, and of course the seal must