Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-07

ers to the charges placed before con-
gress yesterday by President Roose-
welt, accompanied by the report of his
special examiners, James B. Reynolds
and Charles P. Neill.
Following protracted meeting of
of the Chicago pack
ers lasting until late yesterday after
noon and held in the Office of the Ma
tional Packing company, categorical
the Presidents message and the re-
ports of the governments experts.
A statement prepared at the meeting
and signed by the Chicago packers
was given to the public as a refutation
of the serious accusations that their
packing plants are unsanitary and
filthy.
The official denial of the charges
made public at Washington is accom-
panied by the report of DR.. T. ]. Bur-
rill, vice president of the University
of Illinois, and chief of the department
of bacteriology, and DR.. D. S. Grindley,
professor Of chemistry in the state uni
yersity.
iISSIlStSICItl eattI e diSCs
while this report, made by the two
experts, does not contain information
that is entirely satisfactory to us,
based on what we know to be the actu-
al conditions in the packing plants, it
is from an unprejudiced authority, and
shows how inconsistent and false the
report to the President isl said one Of
Armour's representatives who attend
ed the meeting.
The packers reply, with the report
OF the state university experts, fol
lows:
For weeks newspapers throughout
the country have fairly reeked with
SANDER, all tending to create the be-
lief that the large packers of this
country are in the business of selling
condemned and diseased meat to the
public. These ISLANDERS have done in
calculable harm to the meat industry
to the entire livestock industry
and to the general public, which has
been prejudiced with suspicion of its
daily food.
'The question raised by these Sian
ders as to whether diseased meats are
sold from our packing houses is the
question on which the whole world
wants the facts. The truth must be
told and told emphatically If the entire
meat and live stock industry is to have
a square deal and escape further dan
ger. Yet this vital side of the whole
question is absolutely ignored in thu
Presidents message and all but omit
ted from notice in the Neill-Reynold.
report.
Every pound of meat in our pack
ing-houses comes from animals which
are inspected and passed by trained
veterinary agents of the department o
agriculture. This is the absolute fact
We are not interested in, animals con
demned before slaughter. We do no
buy them. Every animal bought b,
us is inspected both before and afte
slaughter, in accordance with tn
strictest inspection regulations eve
devised in any country, not even eS
cepting Germany Every animal o
carcass that does not pass this rigi
inspection is condemned and dispose
of under the personal supervision O
the agents of the United States depart
ment Of agriculture.
Claim Facts Are Hidden.
"The administration at Washingto
knows these facts. The writer's of tn
Neill-Reynolds report know then
That these are the facts is reluctant
admitted in their report, but even thi
slight reinsurance to the public is a
most buried in the tail end of wha
they have written.
eve have been believers in rigi
animal and meat inspection since il
spection was first inaugurated. w
have shown our belief in it by shou
dering for the benefit of the industr
an annual loss of approximately $1,000
000-our loss on animals which ar
bought as healthy and are condemne
on inspection after slaughter. An
now, in spite of persistent misrepresel
tation, we are heartily in favor of NAL
ing this inspection more efficient,
that can be done, and of extending o.
GRAFTON of the law to cover the san
tary conditions of packing houses, an
we hope legislation will be enacte
that will compel our competitors
live up to the high standard that W
have always tried to maintain.
1T is to be regretted that Messr
! Neill and Reynolds did not get lit
!. practical light on their. subject hafn1