The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-06-05
AWFUL CONDITIONS
President Sends Neil Re-
LOrt 10 Congress.
SAYS STOCKYARDS REVOLVING
REVEALS HORRORS UNSPEAKABLE

Commissioners Verified All state
ments In Their Report by Personal
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of Them Fully
Bear Out Upton sineIair's Tale OF
"The Jungle"-Lhws of Common De-
cency Outraged Daily - Surround
ings Amid which Beef Products
Are Prepared shOcLxingIy Dirty and
InsanItary us a Common Condition
La Nearly All slaughter Houses of
ChicagO-Yards Filthy aud No At
tcntiOn Paid to VentilatIOn-Meat
SboVeIed From Dirty Floors 10
Dirtier TabIes-SituatIon Tends to
Moral ssegradatiOn Of Thousands OF
workers. Both Men and Women.
WASHINGTON, June 5.-With his
message to congress asking immediate
action ON the meat Inspection bill
President Roosevelt has transmitted
the report or the awful conditions in
the Chicago stockyards by Commits
sioners james b Reynolds and Charles
+. Neill The presidents message is as
follows.
II transmit herewith the report OF
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
sioner Charles L. Neil the special
committee whom appointed to inves-
tigate into the conditions in the stock
yards of Chicago.
This report is VI preliminary ma
ture submit it TO yoH now because
it shows the urgent need OF I'M Mediate
action by the congress in the uire don
of providing drastic and thorough
going inspection 10y the federal govern
mcnt of all stockyards and packing
houses and Of their products 50 far as
the batter enter into interstate or for
eign commerce.
The conditions shown by even this
short Inspection to exist Ia the Chicago
| stockyards are revolving Ii is impera
lively necessary in the interest of
health and of decency that they should
be radically changed Under the exist
ing law it Is wholly impossible to Sc
cure satisfactory results.
when my attention was first direct
J ID Ion. -
made under the bureau of animal in
dustry OF the department OF agricul-
ture When the preliminary statements
of this investigation We're brought to
my attention they showed such defects
in the law and such wholly unexpected
conditions that | deemed IL best to
have further immediate investigation
by men not connected with the bureau
and accordingly appointed Messrs.
Reynolds and Neill.
1T was impossible under the existing
law that satisfactory work should be
done 10y tile bureau of animal industry
am. however, examining the way In
which the work actually was done.
"The report shows that the stock
yards and packing houses are not kept
even reasonably clean and that the
method Of handling aud preparing food
products is uncleanly and dangerous t.
health. Under existing law the nation
al government has no power TO enforce
inspection of the many forms of pre-
pared meat food products that are dai
ly going from the packing houses into
interstate commerce. Owing to an in
adequate appropriation the department
of agriculture Is not even able To plac,
inspectors in all establishments desir
ing them.
THE present law prohibits the ship
ment of minspected meat TO foreign
countries, but there is no provision for
bidding the shipment of uninspecteC
meats in interstate commerce, and thu
the avenues Of interstate commerce
are left open to traffic in diseased o
spoiled meats.
II therefore commend 10 your favor
, able consideration and urge the enact
ment of substantially the measure com
monty known MS the Beveridge amend
ment.'
The report made to the president b.
Commissioners James Il. Reynolds an,
Charles L. Neill, and by him transmit
ted to congress, is as follows:
AS directed by you, we investigated
! the conditions in the principal estah
/ lishments IA Chicago engaged In tn
I slaughter of cattle. sheep aud hogs ant
p in the preparation of dressed meat an
meat food products. Two and a hal
weeks We're spent in the investigated
in Chicago, and during this time W
went through the principal packin
' houses In the st0ckyardS district, tC
. gether with few of the smaller one,
4 day was spent 10y Mr.. Reynolds /
New York city in the investigation q
several of the leading slaughter house,
= 1--WE have made no statement as
fact In the report here presented thu
was not verified by our personal el
i animation. Certain matters which W
4 were unable to verify while In Chici
; 20 are still under investigation. III
following is therefore submitted as
partial report touching upon thos
: practlces and conditions which "
! found most common and not confine
!, TO single house or class of house
4 more detailed report would contal