Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-06-13

! Washington, D. c., June Ode
mand for a strict law for the. inspec-
ton of meats at the cost Of the pack
ers is the feature of a SPECIAL message
sent 10 congress yesterday by Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
Accompanying the message is the
report made by the special commits
sion named by the president to inves-
tigate the condition of the Chicago
packing plants. = The report makes
sensational disclosures concerning the
condition of the packing plants.
81 transmit herewith" says the
president, 1.-THE report of James Bron-
son Reynolds and Commissioner
Charles P. Neill, the special commit
tee whom | appointed to investigate
into the conditions in the stockyards
of Chicago and report thereon to me.
This report is of preliminary ma
ture. | submit it to you now because
it shows the urgent need of immedi-
ate action by the congress in the di-
rection of providing a drastic and
thoroughgoing inspection by the fed
eral government of all stockyards and
packinghouses and of their products
so far as the latter enter into inter-
state or foreign commerce"
The most important features of the
message are as follows:
The conditions shown by even this
short inspection to exist in the Chi
cago stockyards are revolving. 1t is
imperatively necessary in the interest
of decency that they should be rad
ically changed.
THE report shows that the stock
yards and packinghouses are not kept
even reasonably clean and that the
method of handling and preparing
food products is uncleanly and danger
GUS to health.
IF inspection of meat food products
at all stages of preparation is not Sc
cured by the passage of legislation
recommended, [ shall feel compelled
to order that inspection labels and
certificates on canned products shall
not be used hereafter.
1.-THE present law prohibits the ship
ment of uninspected meat to foreign
countries, but there is no provision
forbidding the shipment of uninspect-
ed meats in interstate commerce. and
thus the avenues of interstate COM
merce are left open to traffic IL. dis
eased or spoiled meats"
"A law is needed which will euabIe
the inspectors Of the general govern
ment to inspect and supervise frola
the hoof to the can the preparation of
the meat food product.
Il call special attention to the fact
that this report is preliminary and
that the investigation is still unfin-
ished. 1t 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
dOctoring in this fashion of -,alable
tainted meat
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 appropriation;
and whenever there was no particular
public interest in the subject it would
be not only easy but natural thus to
make the appropriation insufficient. If
it were not for this consideration,
should favor the government paying
for the inspection
"The alarm expressed in certain
quarters concerning this feature
should be allayed by realization of
the fact that is no case under such
law will the cost of inspection exceed
2 cents per head"