The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-24
IT'S JUST AFARCE
Meat Inspection Law Held to Be
Worthless.
Inspector De WOOlf Says 1T Is
Easily DOdged.
KILLED ON OUTSIDE.
Bad Beef May BE Slaughtered
Without Inspection.
Only Necessary to Have It Done
Outside City.

The meat inspection as conducted
declared to be inadequate by govern
ment Meat Inspector DeWoolf at the
Wolff Packing company.
Mr.. DeWoolf states that it is pos
sible to evade the present inspection
ordinance and that diseased cattle re-
jected at the Wolf Packing company
can be taken out of the city, slaught-
cred and sold to meat markets in the
city for consumption.
Councilman William Green. who
himself conducts a meat market, in
conjunction with his grocery business,
states that the ordinance is a figure
head as far as strict inspection of meat
IS concerned and that 1t simply serves
as a source Of revenue to the city.
An amendment to the present ordi-
nance providing for a daily report by
all of the packing and slaughter
houses in the city for the number of
cattle offered for sale and rejected on
an ante mortem examination together
with the names of the owners of the
cattle to be filed with the city food
inspector is suggested.
THE present law is simply dead
letter and in reality it is only for reve-
nue." said Mr.. Green. The ordinance
provides an oportunity for collusion
between the man killing the diseased
them and there is no way in which the
inspector can very we'll detect 1t.
''At the packing plant they make
two Inspections, post mortem ana an
mortem inspection reveals unhealthy
conditions where a post mortem would
not be able to reveal anything What-
ever. 1t takes an inspection OF the
vitals to detect, say tuberculosis
Lumpy jaw, too, which is common
enough aff1iction of a great many cat
tie could only of course be discovered
upon an inspection made OF the AMI
NAL on the hOof. When it Is dead. cut
up and ready to be exposed for sale
YOU can not then detect If the animal
had either the lumpy Jaw or tuber-
cuTosis. Tt is menace to the good
health Of the city.
ssThere are always some people who
are unprincipled enough to Kill ana
sell a diseased hog or diseased cattle
I don't know that these things are be-
ing done but they can readily be done
and the food inspector not be the
wiser for it. 1 have often thought OF
the failinss of the law but have been
unable to plan so as to get around
them I should think that possibly we
might keep a closer check by having
an ordinance passed making all Of the |
packing houses give a daily report to
the city covering the kind and number
Of cattle and hogs rejected under IN |
spectfon together with the names of /
an opportunity to keep close watch on |
these people and discover if any kill |
ings and sales were being made of this |
rejected stuff. / believe that !
the packing houses would be glad to |
furnish the city with these reports and /
ro-operate with it in securing them. |
Personally at our store here we have |
got so that we refuse to buy from any /
but the packing house because it |
would be Impossible for US to tell If
some one would come here with |
slaughtered beef if 1t was healthy or
not in the first place To avoid any
danger in this line we refuse to buy in
any other way.
II think that Mr.. Gilfllan. our food
Inspector, is conscientious and that the
'ault does not lie with him but with
he ordinance itself. The only way 1
,an really see how you can get around
t is to have an ordinance absolutely |
slaughtering except at
packing plants and this would be play
ng into their hands and give them the
exclusive privilege, which OF course
would work an injustice.
but under the present method
what's to hinder a man Quietly going
o work without giving notice to the
neat inspector and killing a lumpy
o the packing house and If he lives
everal miles from town the killing
AN be done without anyone finding it
,ut He may sell 1t to a butcher who
ays to himself. Here can make
rom cent to one and one-half cents
pound profit more on this
The city ordinance provides that
,rior to any slaughtering notice musl
,e given to the food inspector in order
hat he may make an inspection or
loof: it further provides that no per-
on or persons may expose for sale in
he city any meat which has not been
nsDected: that all fresh meat slaugh-
cred outside and brought into the city
hall be inspected The penalty for a
-iolation is fixed at from S. to $1OO.