Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-06-15
FILTHY PACKING HOUSES.
Can Such Iniquity Have Existed and the Peo
pie in Blissful Ignorance of Il?

PIC III OiSSiul ignorance OF u
The following is brief epitome OF
the report the President was compelled
by publicity to lay before Congress:
"No statement as q fact which was
not verified by personal examination"
Floors, carts, tubs are of wood, wa
ter-soaked, only half cleansed, meat
scraps and grease adhering 10 them
and collecting dirt.
Meat racks aud conveyors made
quately cleansed, grease and meat
scraps adhering to them, even after
they are washed.
Closets for both men and women
cut off from workrooms by thin wood.
en- partitions. Lunchrooms often ad.
join them.
Washing sinks not furnished at all,
are small and dirty, with neither tow
els, soap nor toilet paper. Men and
women directly from the closets plunge
unwashed hands into the meat.
Men sometimes relieve themselves
on killing floors and swell the sum OF
nauseating odors from dirty, blood
soaked, rotting floors.
One New York slaughter.hou is
model in contrast with Chicago, con-
strueted largely of iron and cement,
flushed and thoroughly cleansed every
day.
Workmen climb over heaps OF meat,
select piece they want and throw it on
dirty floor. In cutting, they hold
meat against aprons of leather or
rough sacking. indescribably filthy.
They stand with dirty shoes ON tables
on which meat is handled. At lunch
hour they sit on these tables. All this
is under eye of superintendent.
Meat shoveled from dirty floors,
which are damp and soggy, piled on
tables rarely washed, pushed in wood.
en- box-carts, gathering dirty splinters.
floor filth and expectorstion of tuber.
culosis and other diseased workers.
Best grade of sausage prepared for
export to be eaten uncooked is carted
in barrow with handles filthy with
grease, thrown on table, on which EN-.
ploye climbs, handles meat with un.
washed hands, kneels with dirty apron
and trousers in contact with meat.
Inspection does not extend to pre-.
pared meat food, though these prod.
ucts bear label stating they have
passed Government inspection.
Not yet prepared to report on use OF
dyes. preservatives and chemicals.
Fresh meat shoveled into barrels
and regular proportion of stale scraps
added from dirty floor.
Meat scraps, dry, leathery and unfi,
to be eaten, among which we're found
pieces OF pigskin, bits of rope and other
rubbish, to be used in making potted
ham.
All these canned products bear la
bells saying they passed Government
inspection and quality is guaranteed
Labels washed from old canned
goods, which are then heated to "liveu
up" contents and given fresh labels.
Superintendents seem to ignore all
considerations except those of the &C.
count-book.
Tuberculosis is disproportionately
prevalent in the stockyards, and vic
Tins expectorate on floors of work
rooms, from which falling scraps oI
meat are shoveled up to be converted
into food.
Callous disregard is shown for com
fort of employees. Girls stand ter
hours day at work which could be a!
we'll done sitting.
Conditions are a degradation te
morals and menace to health of en-
plOyes.
Meat should be inspected afte,
sla lighter on killing beds. Hog
should be inspected for trichinosi,
for American as we'll as foreign con.
sumer. No meat should be marked
inspected unless inspected at every
stage of preparation. Secretary o
Agriculture should be given power tt
make rules regarding sanitation anl
construction of buildings. Transpor
tation of uninspected meat from Stat,
to State should be prohibited. Mum
ber OF inspectors should be largely in
creased. Special government inspec
ton should be carried on continuous
ly. Standards OF inspection in othe
countries should be studied and pub
| lished.