The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-06-08

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
er to enforce inspection Of the many
forms of prepared meat food products
that are daily going from the pack
ing 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 countries,
but there is no provision forbidding
the shipment of uninspected meats in
interstate commerce, and thus the
avenues of interstate commerce are
left open to traffic in diseased or spoil
ed meats. If, as has been alleged on
seemingly good authority further
evils exist, such as the improper use
Of chemicals and dyes, the govern
ment lacks power to remedy them. A
law is needed which will enable the in
spectors Of the general government to
inspect and supervise from the hoof
to the can the preparation of the meat
food product. The evil seems to be
much less in the sale of dressed car
casses than in the sale Of canned and
other prepared products.
In my Judgment the expense Of the
inspection should be paid by fee
levied on each animal slaughtered. If
this is not done, the whole purpose of
the law can at any time be defeated
through an insufficient appropriations;
and whenever there was no particular
public interest in the subject-t would
be not only easy but natural thus to
make the appropriation insufficient. If
it were not for this consideration I
should favor the government paying
for it.
The alarm expressed in certain
quarters concerning this feature
should be allayed by a realization Of
the fact that in no case, under such
Il law, will the cost Of inspection eX-
ceed 8 cents per head.
call special attention to the fact
that this report is preliminary, and
that the investigation is still unfishcd.
II is not yet possible to report on the
Ill ~ ,p i al
ous chemical compounds in comcc-
ton with canning and preserving
meat products, nor on the alleged doe
turing in this fashion of tainted meat
and of products returned to the pack
rrs as having grown unstable or I'M
uSable from age or from other reas-
ons. Grave allegations are made in
reference to abuses of this nature.
Let me repeat that under the pres
cnt law there is practically no meth
od of stopping these abuses if they
should be discovered to exist. Legis-
lation is needed in order to prevent
the possibility of all abuses in the
future. If no legislation is passed,
then the excellent results accomplish
ed by the work Of this special commit
tee will endure only so long as the
memory of the committees work is
fresh, and a rccrudescence of the
abuses is absolutely certain.
urge the immediate enactment
into law of provisions, which will en-
able the department of agriculture
adequately to inspect the meat and
mcat-food products entering into in
tcrstatc commerce and to supervise
the methods Of preparing the same,
and to prescribe the sanitary condi'
tions under which the work shall be
performed. I therefore commend to
your favorable consideration and urge
the enactment of substantially the
provisions known as senate amend
ment No. 20 to act making appropria-
tions for the department of agricul-
ture for the fiscal year ending June
30, 1907, as passed by the senate, this
amendment being commonly known
as the Beveridge amendment.
.... Theodore Roosevelt.
The White House, June 4, 1906