Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1906-06-05
7
ON BEEF.
President Sends Exposure Of
Chicago Packing Houses to
Congress.


WASHINGTON, June 5.-With his
message to congress asking immediate
action on the meat inspection bill
President Roosevelt has transmitted
the report on the awful conditions in
the Chicago stockyards by Commits
sioners James b. Reynolds and Charles
P. Neill The presidents message is as
follows:
Il transmit herewith the report of
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
sioner Charles p. Neill, the special
committee whom | appointed to inves-
tigate into the conditions in the stock
yardsof Chicago.
This report is Of preliminary ma
ture. | submit it to you now because
it shows the urgent need of immediate
action by the congress in the direction
of providing a drastic and thorough
going inspection by the federal govern
ment of all stockyards and packing
houses and of their products SO far as
the latter enter into Interstate or for
eign commerce.
'"rhe conditions shown by even this
short inspection to exist in the Chicago
stockyards are revolving. 1t Is impera-
lively necessary in the interest Of
health and of decency that they should
be radically changed. Under the exist
Ing law 1t is wholly impossible to Sc
cure satisfactory results.
'erhe report shows that the stock;
yards and packing houses are not Kept
even reasonably clean and that the
method of handling and preparing food
products is uncleanly and dangerous to
health. Under existing law the nation
al government has no power to enforce
inspection of the many forms of pre-
pared meat food products that are dali
ly going from the packing houses into
interstate commerce. Owing to an in
adequate appropriation the department
of agriculture is not even able to place
inspectors in all establishments desir-
ing them.
"The present law prohibits the ship
ment of uninspected meat to foreign
countries, but there is no provision for
bidding the shipment of uninspected
meats in interstate commerce, and thus
the avenues of interstate commerce
are left open to traffic in diseased or
spoiled meats.
81 therefore commend to your favor
able consideration and urge the enact
ment of substantially the measure COM
monty known as the Beveridge amend
ment."
The report made to the president by
Commissioners James b. Reynolds and
Charles p. Neill, and by him transmit
ted to congress, is as follows:
"As directed by you. we investigated
the conditions in the principal estab-
lishments in Chicago engaged In the
slaughter of cattle. sheep and hogs and
in the preparation of dressed meat and
meat food products. Two and half
weeks were spent in the Investigation
in Chicago, and during this time we
went through the principal packing
houses in the stockyards district, to-
gether with a few of the smaller ones.
A day was spent by Mr.. Reynolds In
New York city in the investigation of
several of the leading slaughter houses.
1--WE have made no statement as a
fact in the report here presented that
was not verified by our personal ex-
animation.
s'Before entering the buildings we
noted the condition of the yards them
selves as shown in the pavement pens,
viaducts and platforms. The pave.
ment is mostly of brick, the bricks laid
with deep grooves between them, which
inevitably fill with manure and refuse
Such pavement cannot be properly
cleaned
"Systematic ventilation of the work
rooms Is not found In any of the estab-
lishments we visited. In a few In,
stances electric fans mitigate the sti-
fling air, but usually the workers toll
without relief in humid atmosphere
heavy with the odors of rotten wood
decayed meats, sinking offal ana en-.
trails.
"In some of the largest establish.
ments sides that are sent to what is
known as the boning room are thrown
in heap upon the floor. The workers
climb over these heaps of meat, select
the pieces they wish and frequently
throw them down upon the dirty floor
beside their working bench. Even In
cutting the meat upon the bench the
work is usually held pressed against
their aprons, ana these aprons wer
as a rule indescribably filthy.
4 Meat scraps were also found beInl
shoveied into receptacles from dirt.