Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-10-04
ATTORNEY GENERAL Fits FINDS FAULT.
lis Investigation DScoses that State Cattle Commits
sion Has Been Engaged in Sale Of Condemned
Animals for Food. Gov. Bell Removes DR.. Rich.

tion. ard II is supposed that the DISPOSE
ton OF the carcass OF every animal
slaughtered there, that Is. whether Il
be sold for food purposes or put into
fertilizer. Is determined by the United
States government Inspector. under the
regulation above cited. The evidence
shows that the eouiemned cattle OF the
State OF Vermont which have been ship
ped to that plant have been handled in
the same manner as the consgnments
from private individuals. Several drovers
about the State have har,dled the con-
demned cattle for the State in this way.
among them NJ. c. Rowell of Randolph.
u. IL, coombs, OF East Berkshire. W. A.
Kicker of ST. Johnsbury. Fred Savage OF
Windsor. and others. The condemned
animals have been mixed with shipments
OF the droyers ia many Instances. The
commissioners have understood this and
have consented 10 H. one OF the commits
sioners putting il In his testimony that
II was better for the State to have Il
done In this way. The corignments TO
the New England company at Somerville
have always been In the name OF the
drover. and returns made direct TO the
droyer. The State has paid the drover
$500 per head commission for shipping
the cattle ard looking after and turn
Ing over remittances. the drover paying
the freight. II has netted the drover from
% cents to a dollar head profit and
In some instances little more than a
dollar. The drover has incurred no risk
a the deal. and the only services he
has performed has been to load the con-
demned cattle with his own shipments
and receive and turn over the remittance
There has been no system OF regulation
as to marking the cattle for ldentiica-
ton. AS a rule there has been an "X'
clipped In the hair on the hin Of each
condemned animal Sometimes the ami
mails are numbered by clip in the hair:
the condemned animals from each herd
being numbered separately. The identii-
cation has not been certain the chance
for mistake large, and the cattle com
mlssioners have had no supervisioo or
oversight OF the animals from the time
they have been turned over 10 the drover.
In two or three instances some one OF
the commission have visited the plant at
Somerville but never to exercise any
control or supervision over the handling
of the condemned animals from Vermont
The commission have turned the whole
matter over to the drovers and to the
officials Of Massachusetts ard the United
States government. They have so placed
II that the safeguard against the unlaw-
full disposition of the varcasses is not
the care nor supervision of the officers
of the State of Vermont. but the integ-
rity OF the drovers and the supervision
ard care of the Massachusetts, and United
States officials exercised in another com
monwealth. No attempt has been made
by our cattle commission to keep a rec
ord of the different herds, Of where they
were disposed of. or of what returns were
received for them. 1t is not possible to
trace any animal or herd from any rec
ords which the cattle commission have,
10 know whether the animals were sold
for purposes of food or disposed of for
fertilizer Except in the one or two in
stances hereinafter referred to. the COM
mission have left it entirely to the New
England company, at Somerville, as to
what shall be paid the State for the
condemned animals. 1t is supposed that
every condemned animal is subject to
a post norton examination at the time
of its slaughter at Somerville, 1t ap-
pears that reports of this post norton
could be secured but the commission
have not taken the trouble to secure
them except In a very few instances,
and there is no record, and no way to
tell from anything which the commis-
sion have, as to what the post norton
showed in the case of any animal or any
herd The New England company makes
it's return to the drovers in lump sum
for each lot of condemned cattle; that
lis, IL parts of severaf herds are con-
demned in a locality, they are all ship
ped together by the drover, with no at
tempt to identify the cattle from each
particular herd, and it is supposed that
these condemned cattle are separated from
the drover's own cattle when they reach
Somerville. by means OF the OK clipped
in the hair or other Identification, to
mark the condemned cattle but whether
the separation of the condemned cattle
from the drover's own stock is correctly
done, depends upon the care and honesty
of the persons handling the stock at
Somervlle, ard not upon any care or
supervision of the officers of the State
of Vermont. There is no evidence to
show that the matter has been other
wise IMAM CoTltttiy 4loho9etS h"AN''
and there is no reason for charging that
the persons doing the business have been
other than square and honest, but there
lis nothing which the cattle commission,
have done to give us light upon this
question one way or the other.
RETURNS NOT SPECIFIC.
The returns are made in lump sum q
the droyer, who takes out his commission
and freight of 50 per head, and sends his
check for the balance to the commits
sioner who condemned the lot of cattle
in question / attach to this report a
return from the New England company
to W. A. Kicker for herd of p cattle,
under date of June IA. 1906, together with
a statement of Kicker, showing remit
lance for net balance to Commissioner
Stephens. 1t will be noted that the New
England company does not itself dispose
of all these carcasses which are sold
, for food purposes. but they turn a por-
} tior, of them over to other commission
, houses in Boston, as is shown on this
} statement of Rickers, the papers attach
: ed showing the detail. Out of this par
, ticular lot of % cattle, three were con-
demned and used for fertilizer; 10 were