The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-06-09
MEAT INSPECTION IS DECLARED A FARCE
How Diseased Cattle Are Killed and Sold for
Food by Chicago Packers-Stockyard Hor-
rors Revealed by New York Lawyer.

New York.-Dr. ]. g. Mines, OF Chi
cago. who was for ten years a meat
inspector stationed in, packing plants
In that city, declared that cattle af-
ficted with "lumpy jaw" or plainly
suffering from other diseases which
rendered them unfit for-food were
bought by the packers agents. who
bargained for them and usually got
them at a price which enabled the
packers to realize a large profit on the
transaction.
IF 1t is necessary to give any Gre
dentials," DR.. Mines said, II may say
that l was appointed meat inspector
In October, 1896. was first on duty
In Kansas City, In the plant OF Ar
mour & Co. was subsequently with
the Fowler company, the Joseph
Smart company and the Jacob Dold
company. l had entire charge of the
stockyards in Kansas City.
Buying Of Diseased Stock.
Every buyer for the trust Is under
orders to purchase as many diseased
cattle and hogs as he chooses, but to
buy at the lowest possible price, so
that II the animals do not pass the
government inspectors the loss will be
minimized. II these cattle and hogs
pass the inspectors and are sold to
the consumer, the profit is proper
tionately large.
"Let me explain here that 1umpy
Jaw is a disease which cannot be
communicated to man and does not
spread to other parts Of the animal.
would not hesitate to eat meat from
an animal with lumpy jaw If it was
otherwise healthy and well nourished.
1t is in the tuberculosis cattle and
hogs that danger lies, and it is only
through the most rigid inspection OF
meat after 1t gets into the killing
room that this danger can be met.
It Is the laxity of inspection service
that is responsible for many of the
conditions which have been described
recently.
II was transferred from Wichita to
Waterloo, Ia, August 10, 1903, and
proceeded to install a method Of in
spection which consisted of marking
with slash on the leg the tubercular
hogs. When insisted upon the
viscera being set aside for examina-
| ton It was said that was trying to
do my predecessor. The packers
would kill q couple from each lot in
making up a drove for the killing,
and when a hog was condemned the
remainder OF that lot were placed In
the feed pen until carload had teen
assembled, when they were loaded
and shipped to Chicago. In Chicago
they were all sold.
Make Complaint to Salmon.
"Failing In their efforts to inGuce
me to relax my inspection. the pack
ers finally made complaints to Mr..
Salmon, the head of the bureau OF
animal industry, who detailed DR..
Morris Wooden, of the Chicago force,
to visit Waterloo and look into my
methods. He made careful examna-
ton OF AZ hogs that had been cen
demned, but held under orders from
Washington. DR.. Salmon's explana-
ton of this procedure was desire to
have methods all over the country
uniform with those of Chicago.
According to Chicago methods, DR..
Wooden decided to condemn to lard
and grease tanks 76 per cent. Of the
whole number. On the following
morning DR.. Wooden came to the
Office and proceeded to revise his pre-
vious decision, going over his notes,
with result that, instead Of the 76
per cent. condemned to the tanks, A
per cent. was condemned. There hogs
were then 'tanked,' and the rest went
for meat.
II was instructed by letter from
Washington to conform to DR.. Wood
ems methods in November, 1908.
"In Chicago I was first detailed t
inspect hogs at the Armour plant, tn,
room being nicknamed the peniten
tiary' on account of its long hours
and heavy work. The negligence o
; inspectors at this place was astonish
ing. the inspectors coming and go
Ing at such hours as they saw ut, an,
many hogs passing without examina
ton.
slaughtering Of "Crips."
II found that many injured hogs
called Grips and Slows were killer
after regular hours and without any
inspection whatever at the time o.
killing. The hogs when seen in thu
morning were ready for market, thu
heads, glands and viscera being re-
moved, thus making detection of dis
ease entirely impossible. There were
days when the entire force was ex-
cused from duty. yet hundreds Of hogs
were killed.
when was transferred to another
house found the conditions the
same. The regulations require that
condemned carcasses be secured by
lock and key In inspectors charge
In this place they were left unlocked
"All sheep butchered were labeled
u. 8. Inspected without being In.