The San Francisco call., 1906-06-05

/ legislation is passed then the excellcnt
results accomplished by 1.-The work OF
this special committee vii endure only
so long as the memory of the eommis-
s!on's work is fresh and recrudescepee
+ of the abuses is absolutely certain.
I urge the Immediate enactmentsinto
I law of provisions which will enable the
Department Of Agriculture adequately
I TO inspect the meat and meat food pro-
and to supervise the methods of pre-
pairing the same, and 70 prescribe the
sanitary conditions under which the
work shall be, performed therefore
commend to your favorable cohsidera-
ton and urge the enactment Of sub
stantially the provisions known as Sem
ate amendment No. 2e to the act max
ing appropriations for the Department
( of Agriculture for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1907 as passed by the SEN
ate. this amendment being commonly
known as the Beveridge amendment.
THEODORE ROOSEY ELTs
The White House. June 4. 1906,
MEAT IN FILTHY TUBS.
The report of the commission sub
mitted by the President to Congress
contains revelations so revolving as to
be unprintable.
The opening paragraphs of the re-
4 port are devoted to descriptions of the
stock yards and the buildings occupied
as packing-houses The difficulty of
keeping the open yards and pens clean,
especially in wet weather, is ernpha-
sized The buildings are stated to have
/ been constructed with little regard to
either light or ventilation. The work
rooms as a rule are poorly lighted.
Many of the inside rooms are de-
scribed as vaults in which the air
rarely changes Describing the equip
ment Of the packing plants, the report
says:
The work tables upon which the meat
/ is handled the floor carts on which it
] is carried about, and the tubs and other
receptacles into which il is thrown are
generally of wood. In all the places
visited but a single porcelain lined re-
ceptacle was seen.
Tables covered with sheetiron, iron
carts and iron tubs are being intro
duced in the better establishment. but
no establishment visited has as yet
abandoned the extensive use of wooden
tables and wooden receptacles. These
wooden receptacles are frequently
/ found water-soaked, only half cleansed
and with meat scraps and grease ac-
cumUlations adhering TO their sides and
collecting, dirt This is largely true of
meat racks and meat conveyors of
every sort, which were in nearly all
cases inadequately cleansed and grease
and meat scraps were found adhering g
to them even after they had been
washed and returned to service.
SANITARY RULES LACKING.
We saw meat shoveled from filthy
| wooden floors, piled on tables rarely
washed, pushed from room to room in
! rotten box carts IN all of which pro-
| cesses 1t was in the way of gathering
/ dirt splinters and floor filth 1t was
\ always the reply that this meat would
afterward be cooked and that this ste
! rilization would prevent any danger
/ from its use. A very considera BILE pot-
! ton of the meat so handled is sent out
as smoked products and in the form Of
sausages which are prepared to he
eaten without being cooked.
A Particularly glaring instance of un-
cleanliness was found in a room where
the best grade of sausage was being
prepared for export.
The report says that the radical de-
fect in the inspection system is that IL
y connned az present by law to passing
! on the healthfulness of animals at the
+ time Of killing. but that the meat thai
Is used in sausages and the various
/ lorms OF canned products and other
prepared meat foods goes through many
! processes, in all of which there is nos.
slbiiIty of contamination through un-
sanitary handling and further danger
Lnroqgh the use of chemicals. During
an lhese processes there is no Govern
I ment inspection, although these mod
ucts when sent out bear a label stating
/ they nave been passed upon by Cow
ernment Inspectors
The report arraigus the ca a5;+.,r,, 49,,
VISIONS IN the buildings as ahon1inabIe
a1tl atl says the men and women plunge
their "a unwashed hands into the meat to
+ oe converted into food products The
report SAYS the burden of profectin .
the cleanliness and the wholesotnanass
81 the products and the health of the
workers and Improving the conditions
n1ent ~ eih-
Department superintendent seem 70
/ ignore All considerations except the az
count book, and proper care of fha
products and of the health and com
tort OF the employees is Impossible. and
berculosis victims expectorate m TIC
4 spongK wooden floors of the dark Ivofkl :
/ rpoms, from which fallen scraps of
meat are later shoveled up to he Iater
/ conYerted into food products
bNen the ordinary decencies of life
are completely Ignored The whole sitI-
atl9n, as we saw II i'm these huge es-
! Establishments, tends necessariIv a1d in-
eEltabiy to the moral degradation Of
thousands of workers, who are forced
20 con siPeha si+shs their mel, working hours under
/ sary and objectionable, and which are
constant .nnenaee not only to their
own healths but to the health of those
/ them. ~
/ ROPE ENTERS INTO HAM.
As an extreme example of the entire
alsre garu on the part of employees Of
any notion Of cieanliresg IN hafidii ing
Just been Killed eleaned M Washed laaT h;a aaa
ffir'fq faii from 9n E WAY t. the cooling fYom
wooden floor and slide part way into 4
hlthy room. 1t was picked u1 bv fvo
empisoyes' emp sg placed upon truck, car
With With other earcoaasses, no effort being
As to the inspection OF the aIleeed
! use Of dyes. prescrvatives or chenlicaIs
/ m the preparation OF cured meats. saii-
sages and canned goodssS Akad are not
YET prepared TO report We did look
into the matter of sanitary handling OF
the meats being prepared for the vari-
Gus food products. The res,ll.s-of o,,,
ogsseriatieIs nis have aiready been, partfiSS
giyen Other instances of how products
may be made up and still secure the
stamp OF Government Inspection are
In one weu- known estas sfish ifienf. We
came upon fresh meat being sfoveIad
into barrels and 4 regular proportion
being added of stale Scraps that had
lain on 2 dirty floor IN the corner 81
"A room Tor some days previous
IN another esta blishneTlt EQUALLY
well known, a long table was noted
covered with several hundred Yutit1s
~ eookea scraps of beef and othef
meats. some OF these meat sci.aps were
nrg, leatierE asld unfit sU .5e catch and
= the leap were found pieces, Of pig
SKIN, ana even some bits OF rome
strands and Other ri.hhfSh Tb,,,tt.-.,