The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-06-04
President Roosevelt Sends q
Special Message to Congress
Concerning Conditions in
Chicago Stock Yards.
WANTS MEAT MORE
RIGIDLY INSPECTED
Wants Law to Supervise Preparing
Meat Foods and Prescribe
Better Sanitary Conditions.

Associated Press to The EveniAg Tines.
Washington. June ITO the SEN
ate and House of Representatives:
transmit herewith report Of
James Bronson Reynolds and Com
missioner Chas. P. Neill. special
committee whom appointed to in
vestigate into the conditions in the
stock yards of Chicago and report
thereon to me. This report is of a
preliminary nature. l submit it to
you now because 1t shows the urgent
need of immediate action by congress
In the direction Of providing a dras-
tic and through going inspection by
the federal government of all stock
yards and packing houses and of their
products so far as the latter enter
into interstate or foreign commerce.
The conditions shown by even this
short inspection to exist in the Chicago
stock yards are revolving. 1t Is i'm
peratively necessary !n the interest of
decency that they should be radically
changed.
Under the existing law 1t is wholly
impossible to secure satisfactory re-
suits. urge the immediate enact
ment into law of provisions which will
enable the department of agriculture
adequately to inspect meat and meat
food products entering into interstate
commerce and to supervise the meth
DDS Of preparing the same and to
prescribe sanitary conditions under
which the work shall be performed.
therefore commend TO you the fav-
orable consideration and urge the
enactment of substantially the provis-
ions known as senate amendment No.
20 to the act making appropriations for
the department of agriculture for the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1907, as
passed by the senate. this amendment
being commonly known as the Beve-
ridge amendment
Theodore Roosevelt.
Following is the abstract report Of
j. B. Reynolds and Commissioner G.
H. Neil to the president on the condi-
tions in the Chicago stock yards:
eve went through the principal
packing houses in the stock yards dis
trict, together with a few of the
smaller ones. A day was spent by
Reynolds in New York city in the in
vesdgation of its leading slaughter
houses"
The report says that in many of the
rooms where water is used freely the
floors are soaked and Shiny and the
dingy rooms are naturally not kept
suitably clean. An absence of clean
liness was found everywhere in the
handling of meat being prepared for
various meat food products. Parts
that are sent from the cooling room to
these departments where various forms
of meat products are prepared, are
handled with no regard whatever for
cleanliness. the workers climb over
heaps Of meat. select pieces they wish
and frequently throw them down upon
the dirty floor beside their bench.
The report says that a radical defect
in the inspection system is that 1t
is connived at the present by the law
to the passing on the healthfulness
i4of animals at the time of killing but
that the meat that is used in the
sausage and the various forms Of
canned products and other prepared
meat foods goes through many pro-
acesses. in all Of which there is a
possibility Of contamination through
unsanitary handling and the further
/ danger through the use Of chemicals.
4 During all these processes there is no
. government inspection. although these
products when sent out, bear a label
stating they have been passed upon
by the government inspectors. The
report says that the sanitary provis-
ions In the buildings are abominable.