The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-06-16

and House of Representatives: /
transmit herewith the report of Mr..
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
committee whom l appointed to In
vestigate into the conditions in the
stock yards of Chicago and report
thereon to me. This report Is of
preliminary nature. submit It to
you now because 1t shows the urgent
need of immediate action by the con-
gress In the direction Of providing a
drastic and thoroughgoing inspection
by the federal government of all stock
yards and packing houses and Of
their products, so far as the latter
: enter into Interstate or foreign COM
merce. The conditions shown by even
this short inspection to exist in the
Chicago stock yards are revolving. II
is imperatively necessary In the in
terest of health and of decency that
they should I've radically changed. I'm.
der the existing law 1t is wholly i'm
possible to secure satisfactory results.
Orders Further Investigation.
When my attention was first direct
ed to this matter an investigation
was made under the bureau Of animal
industry of the department Of agri-
culture. When the preliminary state
ments Of this investigation were
brought to my attention they showed
such defects in the Jaw and such
wholly unexpected conditions that
deemed 1t best to have a further i'm
mediate investigation by men not con,
nected with the bureau, and according
ly appointed Messrs. Reynolds ant
Neill. It was impossible under tn,
existing law that satisfactory wori
should be done by the bureau of ami
NAL industry. am now, however
examining the way In which the worl
actually was done.
Before I had received the report oil
Messrs. Reynolds and Neill had di
rected that labels placed upon any
package of meat food products should
state only that the carcass of the ami.
NAL from which the meat was taker
had been inspected at the time o.
slaughter. II inspection of meat foot
products at all stages Of preparation
Is not secured by the passage of tn,
legislation recommended I shall fee
compelled to order that inspection la
bells and certificates on canned prod
ucts shall not be used hereafter.
Packing Houses Unreasonably Dirty.
The report shows that the stock
yards and packing houses are not kept
even reasonably clean, and that the
method of handling and preparing
food products Is uncleanly and dan.
gerous to health. Under existing law
the national government has no pow
er to enforce inspection Of tho many
forms Of prepared meat food products
that are daily going from the packing
houses into interstate commerce Ow.
ing to an inadequate appropriation
the department of agriculture is not
>even able to place inspectors In al
establishments desiring them. The
present law prohibits the shipment OF
nninspected meat to foreign countries
hut there is no provision forbiddine
THE shipment Of uninspected meats in
Interstate commerce, and thus the ave
nues of Interstate commerce are lief,
open to traffic in diseased or spoiled
meats. II, as has been alleged on
: seemingly good authority further evils
exist, such as the improper use OF
chemicals and dyes, the government
lacks power to remedy them. A law
Is needed which will enable the in
spectors of the general government
60 inspect and supervise from the
SCOT 20 Tho can tba nrapa ra ttop NJ tbe
meat food product. The evil seems
to be much less in the sale Of dressed
carcasses than in the sale of canned
and other prepared products; and very
much less as regards products SEN
abroad than as regards these used a
home.
In my judgment the expense Of thu
inspection should be paid by fe'
levied on each animal slaughtered
II this is not done. the whole purpos'
of the law can at any time be de
Heated through an insufficient appro
-priation; and whenever there was NJ
particular public interest In the sub
1cct It would be not only easy blu
natural thus to make the appropria
-tion insufficient. II II we're not 70
this consideration should favor tn
government paying for the inspection
The alarm expressed in certain
quarters concerning this featur
SHOULD be allayed by realization o
rthe fact that In no case. under such
law, will the cost Of inspection excee'
eight cents per head