Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-10-05
Report of Attorney General a
Startling Revelation of
Duty Neglected.
COMMISSIONER RICH FIRED
Condemned Cattle Sold to
DroverS-Marketed Same
as Other Cattle.
~, - Brattleboro, VI, Sept IL, 1906.
The Hon Chas. j. Bell,
Governor Of Vermont
hagt IIapd,,.t.I.

~.
state OF Vermont has been dealing in dis
eased meat, | stated that the complainant
ana all witnesses Of whom the State haI
any knowledge had been summoned to an
pear before the grand jury OF Chittendel
county AZ Burlington, for Wednesday. Sen
TENDER I. An investigation of the matte
ms been going on before the grand Jury an,
the developments are such that | deem il m,
duty TO make further report to Your Excel
lency and beg, therefore, to submit tn
ioloWihg statement OF the facts which ap
pear.
! beg TO call attention again to the stat
ute covering the matter and its antecedents
II was originally provided by Section 4sl;
of the Vermont Statutes that any cattle show
ing any response to the tubercuin teS
should be condemned by the COMM ssion ant
slaughtered, and that a post norton eNam
nation should he made, and if the ANNA
was found TO be affected with tuberculosis
the carcass was to be destroyed, and the
owner paid one-half the appraised value. II
not diseased II was to be returned to the
owner who should receive the full amount
OF the appraised value. BY act No. IS OF
1902, the requirement was made that the
carcasses should be buried, Act No. l46 OF
1904 repeats this provision and provides
posed OF as directed by the commissioner in
charge. The cattle commission have con.
strued the law of 1904 as giving them au.
thority to dispose OF the condemned animal,
tltHtT AWNt OF utau, 10 WnOmkUeNtf tntN saw
lit, with the understanding in each case that
the animal was to be slaughtered and a post
mOrtem examination made, and the DISPOSE
ton of the carcass to be governed by the
result Of the post norton. They claim that
the warrant for this construction is the fact
that the law of 1904 doesn't require the
slaughter of the animal before il is disposed
Of Ii is TO my mind doubtful il the con
struction placed upon the law bv the cattle
commission is warranted Section 1, Of Act
No. 50, of 1902, contemplates the slaughter
Of animals that respond to the tubercuhn
test. 1t provides in terms il the cattle com
miSsouers deem necessary to a thorough
OF the ease, they may apply
the tuberculn test and il the animals are
found to have contagious disease, shall
cause them to be killed forthwith etc
The last clause OF the section saws that
tuberculosis shall not be construed as an
epidemic disease but it would seem TO
leave it classed as a contagious disease.
Act No. II6 OF 1904 does not repeal Section
Of said Act OF 1902 The change in the law
IS to the disposition Of the animal is by
amendment of Section ) OF the Act Of 1902,
80 Section 1 OF the latter Act is still in
force and | therefore doubt the authority Of
he cattle commission 10 dispose of any con.
lemned animal before il is slaughtered
The regulations Of the United States gov.
.rnment for the disposition Of carcdsses of
diseased cattle do not require absolutely the
destruction of the carcass of every animal
which responds to the tuberculin test, nor
# every animal which shows signs of tuber-
'ulosis upon post norton examination. The
fnited States regulations covering the mat
er are contained in Regulation 10, Paragraph
\ of the regulations of the department of
griculture, issued under act OF Congress
approved June 80, 1906, and these regula
ions permit the sale for food purposes of
arcasses Of animals showing slight, calsihed
r encapsulated LESSONS confined to certain
issues, which are specifically named in the
equations of the United States govern
nent are by the law of Massachusetts, adopt
d fer that commonwealth.
Did Not Follow the Law,
The cattle commission Of Vermont 1t APP.
ears, did not strictly follow the law OF
9O2, which requires that the the carcasses OF
ondemned animals shall be buried: in sew
raj instances it has appeared that the com
Mission took the condemned animals to the
laughter house of the Burlington Rendering
ompany at Burlington, and had them slaugh'
ared there. and disposed of the carcass Tor
,rtili2er purposes Certain members OF the
admit that this was done. The com
lission have no records to show TO what eN-
,nt or in how many instances. All inns was
| violation of the law of 1907.
When the law of 1904 took effect, the cat
g commission constituting the law as above
dictated. at once made arrangements for /
10 disposition of condemned animals, that
, such as responded to the tuberculin test /
follows: H.. IL.
small number were condemned out OF a /
,rticular herd the owner was given the
1tion of having the animals slaughtered at |
jme; in such case the expense of the siaIgh'
r was charged to the owner as proNdeu III
action A of the Act of 1902 In case OF |
,nsidprable number being condemned, or II
e owner didn choose to have the sIaugh'
ring done at home, the commission ar
nged to have the condemned animals snip
ID by some droyer to the plant OF the new
npIand Dressed Meat and Wool GO. az
Mass /, and there slaughtered
ID disposed of by that company in the same
nv il handles stock for everybody elSe;
ne New England Dressed Meat and Wool
mpany is slaughtering ana coIilli!ssiIin
nse Its business largely is taking ANIMALS
consignment, slaughtering them, ana as
sinr of the carcasses and hides, taking for
!, own pay the offal. and paying the con
gnor the net amount received Tor lhe w
SIS and hide. This slaughter-house Is uIuft
1ited States government inspection, ana IL
snpposed that the disposition OF the car.
&c pf every animal slaughtered there, that
whether il be sold for food purposes VI
I into fertilizer, is determined by Ihe
lited States government inspector, 1nue
avs that the condemned cattle oil the otate
Vermont. which have been shipped 10 lhat
ant have been handled in the same manner
the consignments from private lndlYiuuLals'
yeral drOverS about tne tolate i1 l., /
ID the condemned cattle for the state III
s way among them NJ. @. Rowell OF nan
lnb. 4. H. Coombs of East Berkshire, W: |
XII Ricker Of St. Johnsbury, Fred Savage OF
ndsor. and others. The condemned am
lis have been mixed with sTlpinelas u,
have understood this and have consented
IL one of the commissioners putting ~ IN
testimony that it was better i0r tne o!nse
have it done in this way. The conslgn
nts TO the New England co1lPans a' ~" 90 tbo )
ia have always been in the name Oh lhe
'ver and returns made direct to the drover =
a State has paid the droyer S5.oo PEI
ID commission for shipping the cattle ana
king after and turning over reililt tan.ea1, !
drover paving the freight. 1t has nette9
drover from 25 cents to dollar head 5
,st and in some instances lttle more t.
N dollar. The droyer has incurred no
k in the deal, and the only, services ne !
performed have been to load the c9hueiiHvo
10 with his own shipments, and receive
i turn over the remittance lhere Has
no system of regulation as to marklhS
catt1e for identification. AS a RUE NY =
been an ''X' clipped in the mar on 1i une
of each condemned animal. 2onie, me !
onimals are numbered by clip IN tns
>. the condemned animals from eacn aeru =
no. numbered separately. Inc ldentiIca I
~ has not been certain; the chance Tor I
take large, and the cattle commissioner tho !,
e had no supervision or overs haan tnrned e
mas a. tb ,aV droyer In two or three instances
,e q one of the commission have visited ine =
mt at Somerville, but never 40 10 bandiing a
control or supervision over the nanulinS .
tS Son' condemned animals from Vermont "
Tue ,a;sSion have turned the whole mat. g
oTer to the drovers and to the officials OF
s Se and the United States t6st s tSe
ment .a against the unlawful disposition !!
tEe"t carcasses is not the care nor super y
tne %" nc otficers of the State of Vermont
fl the integrity of the drovers and the o su 4
vision and care Of the Massachusetts anot Inr
.eu r,vaaitb No attempt has been MADE .
nnp cattle commission to keep record q \,
our t' herds. Of where they were disposed s.
ar nf what returns were received for tnem. d y
~ -. nossihle 10 trace any amman VI %