The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-05

workers climb over these heaps OF meat
sedeet erit, 'ne pieces they Wish, and fre-
moor beside their working bench Even
In cutting the meat upon the bench the
work Is usually held pressed against their
aprons, and these aprons We're, as
rule, iudescribably filthy. They were
maqe In most cases OF leather or OF rough
sackinG, and bore accumulated grease
and dlrI In only lew places were suit
able oilcloth aprons worn. Moreover,
men were seen 10 climb from the floor
retuse OF the noors, on the tables upon
which the meat was handled They were
seen at the lunch hour sitting on the
Ia ables on the spot on which the meat
product was handled. and all this under
the very eye Of the superintendent OF tho
room, showing that this was the common
practice,
Filthy Surroundings,
Meat scraps wore also found being
shoVeled into receptacles from dirty
floors, where they were left 10 lie until
again shoveled into barrels or into ma
chimes for chopping. These floors, 1t
rlust be noted. were In most cases damp
ana soggy, in dark, ill-venJllated rooms.
and the employees. in utter Ignorance OF
cleanliness or danger to health. eXpe9-
torated at Will upon them. In word,
we saw meat shoyeled from nlthy wooden
fioors. piled on tables rarely washed.
pushed from room 10 room In rotten box
the way of gathering dirt, sphnters floor
flth and tho cNpectoration of tuberculo-
SIS and other diseased employees. Where
comment was made to floor superintend-
ents about these matters it was always
the reply that this meat would after
ward DO cooked and that this sterilization
would prevent any danger from It's use.
Even this. 1t may he pointed out In pass
Ing, is not wholly true. A very consld-
erable portion of the meat so handled
is sent out as smoked pi oducts and In
the form OF sausages, which are pre-
pared TO be eaten without being cooked.
Particularly Bad Case.
a particularly 9Iaring instance OF un-
cleanliness was found In q room where
the best grade OF sausage was being pre-
pared 1or export. II was made from care
fully selected meats ard was being pre-
pared TO be eaten uncooked. In this case
the employe carted the chopped-up meat
across room in barrow, the handles
OF which were filthy with grease, The
meat was then thrown out upon tho IA
bles and toe employe climbed upon the
table. handled the meat with his un-
washed hands, knelt, with his dirty apron
and trousers In contact with the meat
he wa5 spreading out. and after he mad
finished his operations. again took hold
OF the dirty handles OF the wheelbarrow;
vent back for anoth, r load and repeated
this process indefinitely. Inquiry dcvel-
oped the fact hat there was no water In
this room at all, and the only method
ethe man adopted for cleaning his hanos
was to rub them against his dirty apron
or on his stu flthior trousers.
No Idea of Cleanliness
AS an extreme example of the entire dis
regard on the part Of employees OF any no
tion of cleanliness In handling dressed
meat. we saw hog that had Just been
killed, cleaned, washed and started OH its
way 10 the cooling room fall from tho
sliding rail to dirty wooden floor and
slide part way into a filthy mems privy
1t was picked up by TWO employees placed
upon a truck carried Into the cooling
room and hung up with other carcasses
10 effort being made to clean II.
Treatment of Meat After Inspection.
The radical defect in the present system
or inspection is that it does not go far
enough 1t Is confined at present by law
TO passing on the healthtulness of anil
mails at the tiue of killing, but the meat
tsat is used In sausage and in the various
forms OF canned products snd other pre-
pared meat iooCs goes through many pro-
cesses. In all OF which there is possibility
OF contamination through unsanitary
handling, and further danger through the
Use of chemicals. During all these pro-
oesses of preparation there Is no Gov
ornment inspection and no assurance
whatever that these food products are
wholesome and lit for food-dcspite the
fact thIt all these products, when sent
out bear label stating they have been
passed on by Government inspectors
Use Of Chemicals
AS TO the investigation OF the alleged
use OF dyes, preservatiVes or chemicals
in the preparations OF cured meats, sau-
RACES and canned goods, we are not yet
prepared to report We did look into the
matter of sanitary handling of the meats
being prepared for the various food prod
ucts The results of our observations
have already been partly given. other
Instances OF how products may be made
up and stlll secure the stamp OF Govern
lrent inspection are here given In one
establishment we came upon fresh meat
being shovcled into barrels and Il reg
ular proportion being added OF stale
scraps that had lain on a dirty floor in
the corner Of room for some days pre-
yious In another establishment equally
well known, a long table was noted COW
cred with several hundred pounds OF
cooked scraps OF beef and other meats.
Some of these meat scraps were dry,
leathery, and unfit TO be eaten; and in
the heap were found pieces of pigskn,
and even some bits OF rope strands and
other rubbish. Inquiry evoked the frank
admission from the man In charge that
this was to be ground UP and usod in
making "potted ham"
All OF these canned products bear la
ocls of which the following is sam
pie: "
ABBATTOIR No
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