The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-05
|FILTHY PRACTICES OF
THE CHICAGO PACKERS
Disease and Death Lurk in the
Meat Products Sent Out
to Consumers.
President Sends Message to Congress
With the Report of Men Max
ing the Investigation.

Washington. June - President
Roosevelt today transmitted 70 congress
the report Of Messrs- Reynolds and
Neill on existing conditions in the Chi
Cago packing houses. Accompanying
the report was a message urging the
passage of the Beveridge amendment TO
the agricultural appropriation bill max
ing inspection of meat products com
puIsOry at the cost Of the packers. The
message follows:
Presidents Message.
THE Senate and House of Representa-
tives: I transmit herewith the report of
Mr. James Bronson Reynolds and Com
missioner Charles P. NeiH, the special
committee whom I appointed to investi-
gate into the conditions in the stockyards
Of Chicago, and report thereon to me.
This report is OF preliminary nature. I
SUBMIT IL 70 You now because It shows
the urgent need Of immediate action by
the congress IN the direction Of providing
a drastic and thOTOUghEOing inspection
by the federal government Of an stock
yards and packing-hOUses and Of their
products, so lar as the latter enter into
interstate or foreign commerce. The con-
Gltlcns shown by even this short inspeC-
ton 10 exist IN the Chicago stoCkyards
are revolving It IS imperativeIy neces-
Sary- in the interest Of society and de
cency. that they should be radically
changed Under the existing law il is
wholly impossible To secure satisfactory
results
Special Investigation Necessary.
When my attention was first directed
10 this matter an invest cation was made
under the bureau Of animal industry OF
the department OF agriculture. When the
preliminary statements of this iuvestiga-
4 LOn were brought TO ny attention they
showed such defects in the law and such
wholly unexpected conditions that j
, deemed il best 10 have a further imme-
date Investigation by men not connected
with the bureau, and accordingly appoint
ed Messrs. Reynolds and Nell. 1t was
impossible under the existing law that
satisfactory work should be done by the
bureau Of animal industry l am now,
however. examining the way in which the
work actually was done.
Before T had received the report Of
MeSSTs- Reynolds and Neil I had direct
ed that labels placed upon any package
Of meat food products should state Oniy
that the carcass Of the animal from which
the meat was taken had been inspected at
the time Of slaughter. If inspection of
meat food products at all stages Of prep
aTatiOn Is not secured by the passage Of
legislation recommended, I shall feel com
PEELED TO order that inspection labels and
certificates on canned products shall not
be used hereafter
UncIeanIy and Dangerous.
THE report shows that the stockyards
and paChinE-hOUses are not kept even rea-
sOnably clean, and that the method OF
handling and preparing food products IS
unCleanly and dangerous 10 health. IN
der existing law the national government
has no power 10 enforce inspection Of the
many forms of prepared meat food prod
ucts that are daily going from the pack
lighthouses into interstate commerce Ow-
ing 10 an inadequate appropriation the de-
partmenJ OF agriculture IS not even able
to place inspectors in al establishments
desiring that. The present law prohibits
the shipment Of unfnspected meat to for
eign countries. but there is no provision
forbidding the shipment OF uninspected
meats in interstate commerce, and thus
the avenues or interstate commerce @fs
left open TO traffic IN diseased or spoiled
meats. If. as has been alleged on SEEM
fnEly good authority, further evils exist,
such as the improper use or chemicals
and dyes, the government lacks power to
remedy them a law Is needed which viii
enable the inspectors OF the general gov
eminent to inspect and supervise rom the
hOof 20 the can the preparation or meat
food products. The evil seems to be much
less ~ the sale Of dressed carcassss than
in the sale Of canned and other prepared
products sent abroad than as regards
those used ar home
Packers Should Pay Fees.
IN my judgment. the expenses Of the
frspecuon should be paid by a fee levied
on each animal slaughtered If this is not
done. the Wnole purpose OF Iite law can at
any time be defeated through an insuffi-
Gent appropriation and whenever there
was no particular interest in the subject
& would not be only easy, but natural
thus 20 make the appropriation insuffi-
Gent II Il were not for this cOnsidera-
lion I should favor the government pay
ing for the inspection
The alarm expressed in certain quarters
concerning this feature should be aiiayed
nv a realization OF the fact that in no
case under such a law Will the cost Of in
spection exceed S cents per head
Report Only Preliminary.
81 call special attention to the fact that
this report Is preliminary and that the
Investigation is stiH unfinished 1t is not
vet possible 20 report on the alleged abuses
IN the use Of deIeterious chemical com
rounds in connection with canning and
preserving meat products, nor on the al
fczed doctOring in this fashion OF tainted
Meat and OF producIs returned 10 the
dkaMe from age or from other reasons
GAave ALLEGATIONS are made IN reference to
atSRses OF this nature
N et ne repeat that under the present
tzvF there practically is no method OF
sfnppfnE these abuses, If they should be
discovered TO exist. Legislation is needed
in order 70 prevent the possiDlIty or all
abuses IL the future. II no legislation Is
~aSsAd then the excellent results accom-
DIfshad BY the work Of this special COM
InIffee viii endure Only so long as the
memory of the committees work is fresh,
and recrudescence OF the abuses IS abso-
lutely certain
Boosts Beverage Amendment.
..r urge the immediate enactment into
Law of provisions which viii enable the
deDartment OF agriculture adequately to