Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-06

quiry evoked the frank admission from
the man in charge that this was TO be
ground up and used in making "pottee
ham,"
In another establishment plies al
sausages and dry moldy canned meats
admittedly several years old, were
found which the superintendent stated
to us would be tanked and converted
into grease The disposition 70 be made
of this was wholly optional with the
superintendent or representatives OF
the packers. as the government does
not concern itself with the disposition
of meats after they have passed in
spection on the killing floor. 1t might
all be treated with chemicals mixed
with other meats turned out In any
form of meat product desired, and yet
the packages or receptacles in which /,
was to be shipped out to the public
would be marked government inspect
ed 1t is not alleged here that such
use was to be made of this stuff. The
case is pointed out as one showing the
glazing opportunity for the misuse of
label bearing the name and the i'm
piled guaranty of the United States
government.
Another instance of abuse in the use
of the labels came to our notice. In two
different establishments great stocks
of old canned goods were being put
thru washing process to remove the
old labels. They were subjected to
sufficient heat to 'liven up the con-
tents-tc use the phrase of the room
superintendent After this fresh lab
els, with the government name on them
were to be placed upon the cans. and
they We're to be sent out bearing all
the evidences of being a freshly put up
product. In one of these instances, by
the admission of the superintendent,
the stock thus being relabeled was ov-
er two years old. In the other case the
superintendent evaded statement of
how old the goods were.
The lack of consideration for the
health and comfort of the laborers in
the Chicago stockyards seems to be a
direct consequence of the system Of
administration that prevails. The var
ious departments are under the direct
control of superintendent. who claim
to use full authority in dealing with
the employees and who seem to ignore all
considerations except those of the ac
count book. Under this system proper
care of the products and of the health
and comfort of the employees is impos-
sible, and the consumer suffers in con-
sequence. The insanitary conditions in
nj n1, ho 10 ,ly ND 4
erish pace which they are forced to
maintain inevitably affect their health.
Physicians state that tuberculosis is
disproportionately prevalent in the
and the victims Of this dis
ease expectorate on the spongy wooden
floors of the dark work rooms, from
which falling scraps of meat are later
shoveled UP to he converted into food
products.
Even the ordinary decencies of life
are completely ignored. In practically
all cases the doors of the toilet rooms,
the privies of men and women, fire.
quently adjoin, and the entrances are
apart. In other cases there are no
privies for women in the rooms in
which they work, and to reach the
nearest 1T is necessary to go UP or
down two flights of stairs. In one no.
ticeaible instance the privy for the wo-
men working in several adjoining
rooms was in a room in which men
chiefly were employed, and every girl
going to use this had to pass by the
places of dozens of male oper-
atives and enter the privy, the door of
which was not six feet from the work.
ng place CT one of the men operatives.
As previously noted, in the privies for
nen and women alike there are no
open seats.
Rest rooms, where tired women
workers might go for a short rest, were
ound as rare exceptions, and in some
women are even placed
n charge Of privies chiefly for the pur-
bose. it was stated, to see that the girls
lid not absent themselves too long from
heir work under the excuse of visiting
hem. In some instances what was
.alled rest room was simply one end
# the privy partitioned off by a six
DOT partition from the remaining in
losure A few girls were found using
his, not only as rest room, but as the
'nly available place in which to eat
heir luncheon.
Much of the work in connection with
he handling of meat has to be carried
n in rooms of a low temperature, but
ven here callous disregard was
seen for the comfort of
hose who worked in these rooms. Girls
nd women We're found in rooms reg
STEERING a temperature of 38 degrees
fahrenheit without any ventilation,
rhatever, depending entirely upon art
fetal light The floors were wet and
oggy, and in some cases covered with
-ater, so that the girls had to stand
4 boxes of sawdust as a protection
Or their feet. In few cases even
rippings from the refrigerator rooms
bove trickled thru the ceiling upon
he heads of the workers and upon the
bod products being prepared. A very
light expense would have furnished
rier floors and protected them against
ne tricklings from the ceiling. It was
sserted by the superintendent of these
ooms that this low temperature was
ssential to the proper keeping Of the
leat, but precisely similar work was