Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-17
Meat Scandals
In England Also

Special Correspondence to The Star.
LONDON, June g. 1906.
TNGLISH meat sellers and packers
r. have not been slow to make capital
out Of the American meat agitation,
and there is concentrated effort on their
part to close American meat and canned
goods from the British market. 1t is, how
ever. a case of people in glass houses
.. throwing stones, for according to an official
statement made to the writer by DIR. F.
Cooper, late chairman of the London coun-
ty council and one Of the foremost author
tiles on foods in England, English butchers
and packers are decidedly not in position
to grid at the Americans.
1.-THE furious outcry in England against
American canned goods Of every descrip-
ton, and the Importation of American
meat in particular, is. in my opinion, de-
aberately made-up agitation" said DR..
Cooper yesterday. Dealers seem to have
combined in denouncing american goods,
without waiting for verification from the
United States. Every wild statement is
circulated as absolute truth, even to the
extent that American packing houses are
guilty of making cannfbals of the public.
While I do not defend American packers
who have been guilty Of the things which
President Roosevelt says they have done,
at the same time wish to warn American
houses of repute that the scare In Eng
land is trade agitation.
English butchers and packers have
nothing to be proud of in their own meth
DDS. which, in my opinion, official of
many years experience with this particu-
lar subject. are about bad can be.
81 am sure the statement will come as
q matter of surprise when I aver that In
England there Is practically no inspection
of meat at all. For many years we have
been trying to get bill introduced into
parliament compelling meat inspectors to
be men of special education, skilled in
chemical research, studying pathology and
bacteriology, but all these efforts have been
futile Today there does not exist any,
where In England what l consider prop
erly educated inspector of food stuffs.
There are few men. 1t Is true, who go
about examining butter. milk and some
times meat, but they have no special edu-
cation for their tasks.
ITO come down to details might men,
ton that I know Of my own personal
knowledge hundreds Of cases of juggiery
with meat In an unsanitary condition. Take
Emithfeld market-Londons principal meat
supply center. Every one who knows any
thing about the subject at all will confirm
my statement that inspection of meat at
this place is a mere farce For years there
has existed a portion of the market known
lest condition-specially disguised by chem
ical treatment-is sold. This state OF af-
fairs prevails owing to the fact that the
so-called inspector for the city of London
proper has no jurisdiction over that par
tieular section Of the market. which lies
just outside his boundary. This meat is
as bad and unfit for food as 1T Is possible
for meat to be-nothing disposed of In
America by the beef trust could be worse.
II am sorry to have to admit It, but there
Is no one more dishonest than the British
tradesman There is In London a tremen-
dous amount OF bribery and corruption In
the matter OF food supply; and there seems
to be prevailing system that one trades
man must let another do as he pleases on
the distinct understanding that they will
give and take-sYou let me alone, and
shall do the same with you'-is their policy
=
-
II know Of cases where cattle have died
OF diseases In the country, and yet been.
shipped up to London and sold AZ fresh
killed. Even II the London alleged In
spectors found piece Of meat that they
supposed diseased. they have not the re-
qulxate education to tell whether 1t = bad
Of not. They are inspectors By theiF noses,
ana that's ali they have got TO 80 bys and
their noses viii stand good deal some
tiuAes There are hundreds of tons OF rot