The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-06-09
BEEF TRUSTS
QUICK CLEANUP
President Tells Of Packing
towns Awakening,
MIRACLES AT PLANTS
Extraordinary Changes at Chi.
casO on Every Hand an Al.
most Hu morOus Haste.

WASHINGTON, June 9.-ln response
TO a request from the house committee
on agriculture President Roosevelt for
warded to Representative Wadsworth
the chairman of the committee, the re
port made to him by a committee OF
the department of agriculture regard
ing conditions IN the Chicago meat
packing houses. Accompanying the re
port was the following letter from the
president
lin accordance with your request |
send you herewith two reports of in
spection by the committee appointed
by the department of agriculture.
Some of the ground traversed by
Mcssrs NELL and Reynolds Is not
touched upon III the report of the com
mittee OF the agricultural department.
AS to the ground covered IN common
by the reports OF the two investigating
committees there Is no conflict in sub
stance as to the important matters al
though there is a marked difference in
emphasis, this being partially due to
the greater length and detail of the
report of the committee of the depart
ment of agriculture. In my judgment
the emphasis of the report of MessrS
Neill and Reynolds is abundantly jus
tilted by the facts.
40 show the immediate and extraor-
binary change for the better which the
mere fact OF their investigation Is al
ready bringing about in the condition
of the packing houses in Chicago II Is
only necessary to instance the follow
ing portions OF letter received from
4 most competent and trustworthy wit
ness in Chicago, whose name | will
give the committee If it so desires:
Ion Monday began tour of all
the great packing houses, going first to
/ Libbys then to Swifts
TUESDAY all the morning discussed
| changes that ought to be made and
caught a glimpse of the awakening at
/ ArmOurs. In the afternoon visited the
plant with the superintendent.
Wednesday / rested and eontem-
plated the awakening Of Packingtown.
1t is miraculous. Thursday visited the
! Nelson Morris plant with the superln-
tendent. Nelson Morris has done much
to make things better BY the time the
next inspecting party arrives they Will
have still more new layatories, toilet
rooms. dressing rooms, etc. CuspldOrs
everywhere and signs prohibiting spit
ting. In most the awakening seemed
to come by force from without. There
was the slightest indication that the
still. small voice" was at work also.
"'At Armours made no pretense
of making an investigation, but frank
" announced my desire to see things
for myself and to get fresh impress
sion of conditions. as | had not seen
the plants since the strike. on every
hand there was indication Of an almost
humorous haste TO clean up. repaye
and even to plan for future changes
Brand new toilet rooms, new dressing
rooms. new towels, etc. Swift's and
Armours were both so cleaned up that
[ was compelled to cheer them on theil
way by expressing my pleasure at the
changes. The sausage girls were NOV
ed upstairs, where they could get sur
and light. They have dressing rooms
etc.
81 asked for showers and lockers
for the casing workers at Armour
and got a promise that they would pu
them in The canning and stuifinl
room. chip beef and beef extract a
Armou's seemed really quite good. Ii
all these rooms the girls work. A
Libby's the girls are to be put into {
blue calico uniform, which they will
buy at half price. They are putting il
toilet rooms which they say are TEN
: porary and that when the building Il
remodeled they will have these put II
better place The haste toward re
form would have been amusing if
were not so nearly tragic
81 wish to repeat that my investiga
tons are not yet through. am no
prepared TO make final statemen
either as to so much of the complaint
as concern the management of the bu
reau of animal industry or as to Ger
tain of the graver charges in conneC
, ton with the authorizations of mea
,, products, as well as certain other mat
, ters. But enough has been developed
in my judgment, to call for immediate
\ thOrOughgolng and radical enlargement
of the powers of the government in IN
speeding all meats which enter into IN
terstate and foreign commerce. III
I fortunately the mlsdeeds Of those VIII
are responsible for the abuses we do
sign to cure will bring dlscredit an
Y damage not only upon themselves, bu
upon the innocent stock growers, tn
ranchmen and farmers Of the countr!
\ The only way permanently to proteC
and benefit these stock growers, thes
farmers and ranchmen, is to secure b
law the thorough and adequate nspe'
ton for which have asked"
Chairman Wadsworth, who has bee
N widely criticised as defending til
N packers. defended himself by sayin
n that he was friendly to all lndustrie
and that the Neill Reynolds report ha
\ cost the packing and stock interest
Y 500, 100000 and had cut off 35 to 40 pr
N cent of the foreign demand Stat
= ments had been made by DR.. Neill 6