Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-06-06
NELL REPORT
ON STOCKYARD
The Document in Full As Was
Sent to Congress With Spec
ial Message from President.

II RCAotC Nv llOQcC VI IttDICbCulu
tives:
1 transmit herewith the report of
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
sioner, Charles r. Neill, the special
committee whom l appointed to in
yestigate into the conditions in the
stockyards of Chicago and report
thereon to me. This report is of a
preliminary nature. | submit it to
you now because it shows the urgent
need of immediate action by the con-
gress in the direction of providing a
drastic and thoroughgolng inspection
by the federal government of all stock
yards 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 inn
peratively necessary In the interest of
health and of decency that they should
be radically changed. Under the ex-
listing law it is wholly impossible to
secure satisfactory results.
When my attention was first direct
ed to this matter an investigation was
made under the bureau of animal in
dustry of the department of agricul.
ture. When the preliminary statements
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 a further immediate ~investiga-
ton. by men not connected with the
bureau, and accordingly appointed
Messrs. Reynolds and NELL. 1t was
impossible under the existing law that
satisfactory work should be done by
the bureau of animal industry. l am
now, however, examining the way in
which the work actually was done.
Before I had received the report of
Messrs. Reynolds and Neill l had di-
rected that labels placed upon any
package of meat food products should
state only that the carcass of the an
imal from which the meat was taken
had been inspected at the time of
slaughter. If inspection of meat food
products at all stages of preparation
is not secured by the passage of the
legislation recommended l shall feel
compelled to order that inspection Ia
bells and certificates on canned prod
ucts shall not be used hereafter.
The report shows that the stockyards
and packing houses are not kept even
reasonably clean and that the method
of handling and preparing food prod
ucts is uncleanly and dangerous to
health. Under existing law the ma
tional government has 10 power to en-
force 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 depart
ment Of agriculture is not even able
to place inspectors in all establish
ments desiring them. The present law
prohibits the shipment of uninspected
meat to foreign countries, but there is
40 provision forbidding the shipment
of uninspected meats in interstate
commerce., and thus the n of
interstate commerce are left open to
traffic in diseased or spoiled meats. Ii,
al has been alleged on seemingly good
authority, further evils exist, such as
the improper use of chemicals and
dyes, the government lacks power to
remedy them. A law is needed which
will enable the inspectors of the gen
eral government to inspect and super
wise from the hoof to the can the prep
aration Of the meat food product. The
evil seems to be much less in the sale
of dressed a than in the sale of
canned and other prepared products, and
very much less as regards products sent
abroad than as regards those used at
home. In my judgment the expense of
the inspection should be paid by a fee
levied on each animal slaughtered. If
this is not done the whole purpose of
the law car 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
makethe appropriation insufficient. If 1t
were not for this consideration l should
favor the government paying for the in
spection.
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 a law, will
the cost Of inspection exceed 8 cents
per head.
/ call special attention to the fact
that this report is preliminary and that
the investigation is still unfinished. 1t
is not yet possible to report on the al
legged abuses in the use of deleterious
chemical compounds in connection with
canning and preserving meat products
nor on the alleged %doctoring in this
fashion Of tainted meat and Of prod
ucts returned to the packers as having
grown unsuitable or unusable from age
or from other reasons Grave allega-
tioRs are made In referenee4to abuses
Of this nature.
Let me repeat that under the present
law there is practically no method Of
stopping these abuses If they should be
discovered TO exist. Legislation is
49, I NAE ~. ~