New-York tribune., 1906-06-05
BEEF SCANDALS LAID BARE.
President in Special Message to Congress Urges Need
of Drastic Reforms
REPORT SHOWS REVOLVING CONDITIONS
Packers Denial of NeReyns Charg-C investigation
Superficial

Chicago June 4-Eight meat packing estab- 7
lishments of Chicago issued tonight a joint |
statement. replying to the charges made in the |
Nein and Reynolds report of their investigation |
of the packing plants and President Roosevelt's |
message TO Congress-
In this statement the packers declare that |
their plants are kept clean their methods of |
manufacture sanitary. their products whole |
some. and that for years doctors. chemists. sani-
tarians and official investigators from nearly |
every civilized nation on earth. who have made |
examinations of the manner in which the meat
packing plants conducted. have been en-
trey satisfied in every instance with the condl-
tions existing In this industry. Despite this |
fact the packers assert that they stand ready
to adopt any practical suggestion in the line or
Improvement The packing companies who af-
fixed their signatures TO the statement are Ar
mour & Co. Swift & Co, Nelson Morris & Co.
the 6. Fl. Hammond Company. the Omaha Pack
ing Company. the Anglo-American Provision
Company. Libby Mcneil & Libby and the
Schwarzschild- -Sulzberger Company
The statement. which bears the official sigma
ture Of each of these corporations, follows;
The question raised as to whether diseased
meats are sold by packing houses IS ques-
ton on which the whole world wants tne laets, at
and the truth must be told il the enu1re meat
and livestock Industry is to nave SQUARE
deal This vital side of the whole question,
Roosevelt's message and all but omitted IroiD
notice in the Neill-Reynolds report
Every pound of meat in our packing houses
comes from animals which are inspected ana
passed by trained veterinary agents OF the De
partment of Agriculture. This is the absolute
fact We are not interested IN ahinals con-
demned before slaughter. We do not buy them
Every animal bought by us is Inspected ooth
before and after slaughter. in accorualeS wlot VII
the strictest inspection regulations ever devised
in any country. not even excepting Germany
Every animal carcass that does not pass TINS
rigid inspection is condemned and disposed OF
under the personal supervision of the agents or
the United States Department of Agriculture.
The administration at washington KNOWS Ine
facts The writer's of the Nel-Reynolds report
know them That these are the facts is reluct-
antIy admitted in their report. but even TINS
slight reinsurance to the public Is almost ourieu
In the tail end of what they have written
We have been believers i'm rigid amman anu
meat inspection since the Inspection was uISe
beeun We have shown our belief In IL oy
shouIdering for the benefit of the 1nduStry an
annual loss of approximately SlUVUVu0 ouI
loss on animals which are bought as heaithy anu anu
Condemned on inspection after slaughter. Ana
now In spite of persistent misrepresentatlon we
are heartily in favor Of making this lnspec'lon es
tesssi,s the qoperaSion, of The lsys 70 cover Iae
sa}Sftary saisiIss conditions of pac6fus houses.
IT is to be regretted that Messrs. NelI ana
REYNOLDS did not get ractical light on Their
subject before writing a report in Wh1ch ~ II
arnarontIv assumed that blood. grease and other
eyarvdav incidents of animal slaughteriug are
dirt In contrast with their view, we cail at
ttntion to report on packing house condltions
l. j. a
and professor of baCteriOlogy of the University
of Illinois and Professor H. S. Grtndley, pro-
fessor of chemistry at the same institution
This report by Professors BurrilI and Grindley.
which recites the results of an investigation
made within ten days is offered by the packers
as their commentary on the detailed allegations
of Messrs NeiIl and Reynolds. After going into
details on their investigation. and asserting that
the general conditions in connection with the
meat packing industry good as could be
expected under the circumstances. the profess
sors' report says:
our observations make it impossible for US
to believe the horrible stories recently appear
ing in print, or that anything approaching the
described conditions in this industry really ex-
lists. II apparent to us that the work or
the government inspectors was done In strict
accordance with the regulations issued by the
Bureau of Animal Industry. The condemned
carcasses or parts of carcasses are followed oy
these officials. Notwithstanding statements 10 Jhe
contrary to the rendering tanks and these tanks
are sealed and unsealed in their presence and
only in their presence. II these men are COM
petent for their work. and they appeared 10 us
to be performing their duty it is impossible for
the packers. If they so desired to use unawfully
condemned animals or carcasses.
We paid particular attention 10 the charges
that the employees spit on places which come
in contact with the products. We saw only
one man expectorate during our entire inveSti-
CATION and he a government official The
packing business is for butchers, and any one
having any connection with the actual work
has no use for dress suits or kid gloves. as IL
ir NOT n1iIIiners' or jewellers work. We did not
find ANYTHING seriously repugnant TO cleanl1-
ness or whOIesorneness in the operation or pro-
cedures but we did find desire on the part of
all the employees we came IN cOhtarct Win 10
avoid unclean practices.
Continuing their statement the packers say:
In the light of what doing. we have a
-i1bt We believe. TO protest against hasty and
arniricaI judgments that serve only 20 put
,-aa mons into the hands of foreign competitors
of the American livestock and meat producing
trdustrv This phase of the question cannot be
ayaded At the risk of being accused Of trying
20 hide behind the farmer. we say that haSty.
m dIgested Incorporate criticism of American
rackJnp houses strikes not at the packers but at
every farmer who raises hog, sheep or steer
for market without the foreign market ere
atad h,, the hacking industry. the American live
stock growers business would be absolutely
stripped of profit.
when investigation by Messrs. Neill and Reyn-
oIds was undertaken assumed that It's pur-
nose was to forward improvement in packing
house conditions If improvements could he de-
vised rather than 70 gather ammunition for an
attack upon the livestock and meat producing
industry Acting upon this belief invited
from these investigators and from President
Roosevelt any practical suggestions they could
make for the improvement Of packing house
conditions. and at the same time we guaranteed
that their suggestions would be carried
We know methods are good but we stand
ready to adopt any practical suggestion in the
line of Improvement We do, however. most en-
phatically dissent from the opinion that the way
TO better the publics food supply Is 20 attack
the source of production that Is already under
thorough government supervision