The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-31
THE Mat INSPECTION BILL.
PROPOsEDSt RSrITi res ron SFN-
tTE'S M iSfiC uEtU M
one Places the test ~ inspection M the
Government instead NJ on the Packers
AMI Otherwtse Wodtnes the senate tBiil
watch an the Packing tsauscs.

W%AsHiSa1oN. MAY ~ Two hills in
tended 10 bc offered ~ substitutes for the
drastic meat inspection amendment adopted
by the Senate IA part Of the Agricultural
Appropriation bill are being prepared Ivy
members Of the HOUSE Of Representatives.
and II IL unlikely that any attempt 10 secure
the consideration Of the Senate amendment
will he made In the House until those sub
stitutes have been submitted to the Speaker
and his chief lieutenants. who will also
COZ sult the President on the subject,
II is understood thrl both these sub
stitute amendments arr -imilar, in the
Aense that they both pro 'ide for modiiica-
tions of the more radical provisions Of the
Beveridge bill. One important change is
"A provision placing tho coat Of inspection on
the Government instead Of on the packers.
One of the bills also provides that the cost of
inspection he based on the number of cattle
inspected instead Of allowing fixed salaries
for the inspectors. Ii il commended that
through this system the eNpeifse OF inspec-
ton will he greatly decreased.
The substitutes do not contain the pro-
vision in the Beveridge which
requires the INSPECTION of all meats and
meat products. whet her intended for inter
state comms rec or not One important
provision Is meant to take the place of the
Beveridge regulation tor the appoint mcnt
OF inspectors. In he Beveridg e a amendment
it is not required that { he inspection officers
should be appointed under the civil service
regulations, and it 10 contended that tins
will open The door for politicians and others
who are not qualified TO perform the duties
required. The substitutes will provide hat
the selection of inspectors shall be made on
merit, under the supervision and control
of the Civil Service Commission.
Senator Beveridge said to-day that -
the cost of Inspection would be only about
five cents "a head he hardly thought the
packers could Justify the IMPOSITION of this
expense on either the cattle rai.e or the
consumer. But he added that he was in
different ar to who paid the cost of insrec-
ton as long as it was provided for in the
law. This Is the Position Of President
Roosevelt.
Commissioner of Labor Neill ard Srecial
Agent Reynolds. who Tade for Pre-, idert
Roosevelt the investigation which resulted
in the adoption OF the drastic anendue eft
irserted in the Agricultural Appropriation
bill, are continuing their Inquiries into pack
ing house conditions. 1t LecaA.e Known
to-day that they are having Packing houses
watched in order to ascertain whether
sanitary Improvement are icing maGe.
= men lne llESl Inspection VI IdthlllS
houses was made by Government agents
to ascertain the truth Of the allegations
in Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle"
it was said by one of the most prominent
officers of the Government, to whom appl-
cation for information on the subject was
made, that only about ) per cent of the al
legged unsanitary conditions existed and that
these were trivial. being such things Us the
lack of proper ~lavatories and the failure
OF the pa cking house workmen to wear clean
clothing, and would he CORRECTED by the
packers themselves.
Subsequently Messrs, Neil and Reynolds
were sent to investigate, and they apparently
found conditions which were not reported
by the first INSPECTION board. The packers
pronisedto make the improvements recon-
mended by the original inspectors, and it
il expected that a report as to whether they
dent soon.
Under the present Federal inspection only
those packing houses which prepare meat
and meat products for export are subject
to inspection. Live cattle sent abroad are
inspected also before departure. There
are ISL establishments in fifty-one cities
now subject to Federal inspection. Last
year l42, 900 hogs, of which about 1000 were
suffering from tuberculosis and other Han
gerous diseases, were condemned at these
places. Officials Of the Bureau Of Animal
Industry say that the cattle raisers are able
to and do ship diseased cattle in spite of
the restrictive Federal law. They were
warned by the Agricultural Department
that a reaction was sure to result il these
evasions of the law did not cease. None
of the small abattoirs is under inspection.
and it is said that much bad meat has come
from these.