The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1906-06-07
REPORT ON PACKING HOUSE SCANDAL.
President Sends Findings Of Neill-Reynolds
Commission to Congress.
Full Inspection of All Meats Are Demanded From Hoof to Cam
Conditions at Chicago Described Revolting.Labels
VIII Be Withheld from Export Goods Unless Super.
vision at Every Stage Of Preparation Is Secured

Washington, D. G. - President
| Roosevelt Monday transmitted to con-
gress the report Of Messrs, NELL and
Reynolds of their investigation of the
Chicago Stockyards and packing
houses. The report and message trans
hitting same are in part as follows:
Il transmit herewith the report OF
Mr.. James Bronson Reynolds and Com
missioner Charles P. Neill, the special
commission whom appointed to in
vestigate into the conditions of the
stockyards of Chicago, and report
thereon to me. This report Is of u
preliminary nature submit 1t to you
now because it shows the urgent need Of
immediate action by the congress in
the direction Of providing drastic and
thoroughgoing inspection by the fed
eral government of all stocllyards 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 stockyards are
revolving. 1t is imperatively necessary
in the interest of decency that they
should be radically changed. Under
the existing law it is wholly impos-
sible to secure satisfactory results.
When my attention was first d.
rected to this matter an investigation
was made under the bureau OF animal
industry of the department of agri-
culture. When the preliminary state
ments of this investigation were
brought to my attention they showed
such defects in the law and such
wholly unexpected conditions that |
deemed it best to have further i'm
mediate investigation by men not con-
nected with the bureau, and accord
ingly appointed Messrs. Reynolds and
Ieill. 1t was impossible under the
existing law that satisfactory work
should be done by the bureau OF ami
NAL industry. | am now, however,
examining the way in which the work
actually was done.
Before I had received the report of
Messrs, Reynolds and Neill | had
directed that labels placed upon any
package of meat food products should
state only that the carcass of the ami
NAL from which the meat was taken
had been inspected at the time Ut
slaughter. If inspection of meat food
products at all stages of preparation
is not secured by the passage Of legis-
lation recommended, | shall feel COM
piled to order that inspection labels
and certificates on canned products
shall not be used hereafter.
The report shows that the stock
yards and packing houses are not kept
even reasonably clean and that the
method of handling and preparing
food products is uncleanly and dan
gerous to health. Under existing law
the national government has no pow
err to enforce inspection Of the many
forms of prepared meat food products
that are daily going from the packing
houses into interstate commerce.
Owing to an inadequate appropriation
the department of agriculture is not
even able to place inspectors in all
establishments desiring them. The
present law prohibits the shipment
of uninspected meat to foreign coun-
tries, but there is no provision for
bidding the shipment of uninspected
meats in interstate commerce, and
thus the avenues Of interstate COM
MERGE are left open to traffic In dis
eased or spoiled meats. If, as has
been alleged on seemingly good author
ity, further evils exist, such as the
improper use of chemicals and dyes,
the government lacks power to reme-
dy them. A law is needed which will
enable the inspectors of the general
government to inspect and supervise
from the hoof to the can the prepare
ton of the meat food products. The
evil seems to be much less in the sale
of dressed carcasses than in the sale
of canned and other prepared pro-
ducts.
"In my Judgment the expenses OF
the inspection should be paid by a
fee levied on each animal slaughtered.
If this is not done, the whole pur-
pose of the law can at any time
be defeated through an insufficient ap-
preparation; and whenever there was
no particular public interest In the
subject it would be not only easy but
natural thus to make the approprla-
tion insufficient. II it were not for
this consideration | should favor the
government paying for 1t.
The alarm expressed in certain quar-
tiers concerning this feature should be
allayed by a realization of the fact
that in no case, under such law, will
the cost of inspection exceed eight
cents per head.
call special attention to the fact
that. this report is preliminary, and
that the investigation is still unfin-
ished. It is not yet possible to re-
port on the alleged abuses in the use
of deleterious chemical compounds In
connection with canning and preserv-
ing meat products, nor on the alleged
| .laa41..i.acr In +hir fncIinn Of taintnd