The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-06-08
REEKING WITH FILTH
CONDITIONS AS FOUND BY THE
FOOD COMMISSION.
Words Not Minced, Repulsive Facts
Not Covered In Telling of I'm
sanitary Condition.

The report of Charles B. Neill,
Commissioner of Labor, and James
Bronson Reynolds to the President
ON the sanitary condition of the meat
packing houses of Chicago, which was
transmitted to Congress together with
the Presidents message on the same
subject, is appalling, to say the least.
The commissioners made the following
report:
mo statement as fact which was
not verified by personal examina-
tion.
Floors, carts, tubs are of wood,
water-soaked, only half cleansed,
meat scraps and grease adhearing to
them and collecting dirt.
Meat racks and conveyors inadequ-
ately cleansed, grease and meat scraps
adhering to them, even after they,
are washed. !"
Closets for both men and women
cut off from workrooms by thiH wood
en- partitions. Lunchrooms often ad-
join them. III
Washing sinks not furnished at all
or small and dirty, with neither tow
els, soap or toilet paper. Men and
women directly from the | o s
plunge unwashed hands into the
meat.
Men sometimes relieve themselves
on the killing floors and swell the sum
of nauseating odors from dirty
blood-soaked, rotting floors.
One New York slaughter house 10
model in contrast to Chicao, constructs
ed largely of iron and cement, flushed
and thoroughly cleansed every day.
Workmen climb over heaps of meat,
select the piece they want and throw
it on the dirty floor. In cutting, they
handle the meat against aprons Of
leather or rough sacking. indescrib-
ably filthy. They stand with dirty
shoes on tables on which meat is
handled. At lunch hour they sit Oh
these tables. ALI this Is under eye Of
superintendent.
Meat shoveled from dirty floors
which are damp and soggy, piled on
tables rarely washed, pushed in wood
an box-carts, gathering dirty splinters,
floor filth and expectoration of tuber-
culosis and other disease workers
Best grade of sausage prepared fol
export to he eaten unoooked is carted
in barrows with handles filthy with
grease, thrown on tables, on which
employees climb, handle meat with un'
washed hands. kneel with dirty apron
and trousers in contact with meat.
Inspection does not extend to pre-
pared meat food, though products are
labeled stating that they have passet
Government inspection.
Not yet prepared to report to the
use of dyes, preservatives and chem
icals.
Fresh meat shoveled into barrels
and regular proportion of stale scraps
added from dirty floor.
Meat scraps, dry, leathery and un
lit to be eaten, among which wert
found pieces of pigskin, bits of rope
and other rubbish, to be used in max
ing potted ham.
All these canned products bear
labels saying they passed Government
inspection and quality is guaranteed.
Labels washed from old canned
goods, which are then heated to live:
up" contents and given fresh labels.
Superintendent seem to ignore al
considerations except those of the &C
count book.
Tuberculosis is disproportionatel.
prevalent in the stockyards, and vic
Tins expectorate on the floors of tn
workrooms, from which falling scrap
of meat are shoveled up to be convert
cd into food.
Callous disregard is shown for com
fors of employees. Girls stand ter
hours day at work which could b
done as we'll sitting.
Conditions are degradation t
morals and menace to health Of EN-
ployes.
Meat should be inspected afte
slaughter on killing beds. Hogs shoul
be inspected for triehinosis 70
American as we'll as foreign consumer
No meat should be marked inspeote
unless inspected at every stage of pref
aratiou. Secretary of AgrioultuI
should be in power to make rules II
garding sanitation and constitution
of buildings, Transportation of nj
inspected meat from state to stat
should be prohibited. Number of il
speotors should be largely increased
Special Government inspection shoul
be carried on continuously. STANDARD
of inspection in other countries shoul
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