The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-06-09
SWIFT
HAS ISSUED
STATEMENT

the country have fairly reeked with
slander, all tending to create The be.
lief that the large packers Of this
country are in tie business of selling
condemned and diseased meat 10 the
public. These slanders have done
incalculable harm to the meat in-
dustry, to the entire live stock IN
dustry and to the general public,
which has been prejudiced with sus.
picion Of its daily food.
The question raised by these
slanders as to- whether diseased
meats are sold from our pscking
houses is the question of which the
whole world wants the facts. 'Ehe
truth must be told. and told emphat-
ically, il the entire meat and live
stock industry is to have Square
deal' and escape further danger.
Yet this vital side Of the whole ,ucs-
= fion is absolutely ignored u the
Presidents message and all but
omitted from notice in the Neill.
REYNOLDS report.
Every pound of meat in our pack
ing houses comes from animals which
are inspected and passed by trained
veterinary agents of the department
Of agriculture. This is the abso-
lutte fact. We are not interested in
animals condemned before slaughter.
We do not buy them. Every ami
NAL bought by us is inspected both
before and after slaughter, in ac-
cordance with the strictest inspection
regulations ever devised in any
country, not even excepting Ger
many. Every animal or carcass that
docs not pass this rigid inspection is
condemned and disposed of under
the personal supervision of the
agents of the United States depart
tnent of agriculture.
Facts Are Buried.
/, The administration at Washing
.gton knows these facts. The writers
Of the Neill-Reynolds report know
them. That these are the facts are
reluctantly admitted in their report.
but even this slight reinsurance TO
the public is almost buried in the
tail end of what they have written.
We have been believers in rigid
animal and meat inspection since in.
spection was first inangurated. We
have shown our belief in it by
shouldering for the benefit Of the in
dustfy an annual loss of approx
mately 81, 100000 a year-our loss
on animals which are bought as
healthy and are condemned on in
spection after slaughter. And now,
in spite of persistent misrepresen-
citation. We are heartily in favor of
making this inspection more effic-
lent, if that can be done, and of ex-
tending operation of the law TO
cover the sanitary conditions of
Backing houses, and we hope legis-
7ation will be enacted that will COM
pei our competitors to live up to the
high standard that we hsye always
tried to maintain.
1t is to be regretted that Messrs.
Neill and Reynolds did not get a
little practical light on their sub
ject before writing a report in which
il ie apparently assumed that blood
grease and the every day incidents
OF animal slaughtering are dirt. In
contrast with their view is the report
on packing house conditions by Prof.
T. J. Burrill, Ph.D., vice president
and professor of bacteriology of the
University of Illinois, and Prof. h.
s. Grindley, professor of chemistry
at the University of Illinois and one
Of this country's leading food spec
ialiste.
Report Refutes Charges.
This report by Professors Burrill
and Gfirdley recites the results Of
an Investigation made within ten
days. We submit this report by ufl.
preiudiced scientific men.as oar com.
mentary on the detailed allegations
of Messrs. Neill and Reynolds.
Our packing houses are kept clean.
Our methods Of manufacture are
sanitary. Our products are whole-
some. On all Of these points we have
repeatedly satisfied doctors, chemists.
sanitarians and official investigators
! from practically every civilized ma
ton on earth, and in doing so We
have made worldwide market for
American live stock products.
We have steadily and persistently
endeayored to improve our methods,
We claim that We are doing every
thing that can be done, and as fast
as it can be done, to secure the best
possible methods and the best pos
efhla resulfs In the Iigl4 ~ ,ybo+