The National tribune., 1906-06-14
The PACKERS DAY In COURT.
THEY MAKE A FAIRLY GOOD SHOWING OF THEIR SDE
inquiry by the House Committee Agriculture Packers
Represented by Agent-Testmony from the Agricultural
Department.


ready bringing about in the condi ,iol
! of the packing-houses in Chicago it Il
| only necessary to instance the following
portions of a letter received from mos
| competent and trustworthy witness IL
! Chicago, whose name | will give the
| Committee if it so desires:
Chicago, Friday, June l.
ON Monday l began a tour Of al
the great packinghou going first tc
Libby's. then Swifts.
Tuesday all the morning discussed
changes that ought to be made, and
caught glimpse of the awakening al
| Armour's. In the afternoon visited the
plant with the Superintendent.
"Wednesday l rested and contem.
plated the awakening of Packing.
town" 1t is miraculous. Thursday did
Nelson Morris. with the Superintendent
Nelson Morris has done much
| to make things better. BY the time the
next inspecting party arrives they will
have still more new lagatorieS. toilet
rooms, dressing rooms, etc. Cuspidors
everywhere. and signs prohibiting spit
ting. In most the awakening seemed to
come by force from without. There was
the slightest indication that the still
small voice was at work also.
AT Armour'S. at my suggestion
made no pretenSe of making an investi-
cation. but frankly announced my de-
sire to see things for myself and to get
a fresh impression of conditions, as
had not seen the plants since before the
strike. On every hand there was indi-
cation of an almost humorous haste to
clean up, repave and even to plan for
future changes. Brand new toilet rooms,
new dressing rooms, new towels. etc.
Swifts and Armour's were both SO
cleaned up that / was compelled to
cheer them on their way by expressing
my pleasure at the changes. The sau-
sage girls were moved upstairs. where
they could get sun and light, they to
have dressing rooms, etc. / asked for
showers and lockers for the casing
workers at Armour's, and got a promise
that they would put them IN. The cam
ming and stuffing room, chip beef and
beef extract at Armour's seemed really
quite good. In all of these rooms the girls
work. At Libhy's the girls are to be put
into blue calico uniform, which they
will buy at oue-half price. They are
putting in toilet rooms, which they say
are temporary, and that when the build
ing is remodeled they will have these
put in better place. The haste toward
reform would have been amusing II it
were not so nearly tragic.
They tried to win my help on the
ground that loss of foreign trade would
mean hardship for the workers in my
neighborhood and / must say do share
this fear, but / cannot see the wisdom
of my coming out publicly and saying
that l saw indication of an awakening.
for / want the changes to be radical
and permanent, even though We all have
to suffer for the present
Il wish to repeat that my investiga-
tions are not yet through. / am not
prepared to make a final statement
either as TO so much of the complaints
as concern the management of the Bu-
reau of Animal Industry or as to GER
tain of the graver charges in connection
with the adulterations of meat products
as well as certain other matters But
enough has been developed In my judg-
ment, to call for immediate, thorough
going and radical enlargement of the
powers of the Government in inspecting
all meats which enter into Interstate
and foreign commerce. Unfortunately.
the misdeeds Of those who are RESPONSE
BILE for the abuses we design to cure will
bring discredit and damage not only up
on them, but upon the innocent stock
growers, the ranchmen and farmers of
the country. The only way permanent
ly to protect and benefit these innocent
stock growers, these farmers and ranch
men, is to secure by law the thorough
and adequate inspection for which /
have asked.
Sincerely, yours.
lHeDuoTe 1toOStNeIt
The Agricultural Experts Statements.
DR.. Melvin. Chief of the Bureau of
Animal Industry, states in his letter to
the President that the report he makes
lis very complete and detailed. as 1t was
desired to make every phase of the sub
ject clear and distinct, so II would not
be misunderstood and misconstrued."
Then DR.. Melvin says:
From personal observation I know
that sanitary conditions at abattoirs
where this Bureau maintains inspection
while not always satisfactory, are much
superior to those at the average estab-
lishment without such inspection. III
know, further that many diseased ami
mails are not shipped to market centersl
where inspection by the Bureau is main
but are disposed of in other
ways. In my opinion it is most impor-
tant that the inspection should be ex-
tended as rapidly as possible Gf the ap-
permit such extension), I'm
order that the avenues for the disposal
of diseased animals be reduced to a
minimum. The demand for inspection
at establishments not having such In
spection has been much greater thant
the Department has been able to meet
on account of the limited appropriation,
and for the same reason it has not been
possible to increase the efficiency of the
service as rapidly as is desirable
1T might be well to state here that
in any slaughter-house, no matter how
the conditions may be- there is
much that is revolving to one unaccus-
toned to such sights, and one who visits
them must expect to witness scenes OF
blood and offal and to have his nostrils
offended by disagreeable odors as well
as to see fnely-dressed beef and mutton
and tempting hams and bacon"
Two points stand out in this report |
One, that Congress is to blame for not |
providing money TO give the Govern
ment Inspectors sufficient to inspect all
the packing houses, and the other that
over-nice people who faint at the sight
of blood and do not like the smell of
grease and lard and stock yards in gen
eral. should not be considered good
judges of what is sanitary and what is |
The President himself com
ments on the lack OF emphasis in Or. |
Melvin's report
From the questions asked by the /
members of the Committee on Agricul-
ture II would seem as though they
thought more of DIR. Melvins report
than Of the McNeill-Reynolds. The re-
port of the Bureau of Animal Industry.
II given to the country first. would GER |
tainly have answered every purpose and
yet not alarmed and irritated the meat |
eating public or disturbed the foreign |
markets. 1t is n plain, practical COM
story in minute detail of the |
various abattoirs visited There is not |
the slightest attempt to be sensational.
and IT sounds as though It had been
written by men who knew their busi-
ness, technically speaking. and not as |
though written by somebody who had |
been sent to find only horrible things |
and had dutifully found them. The In