The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-09
HUMOROUS HASTE
. IN CLEANING UP
Packers Are Scrubblne, withdrawing,
Rebuilding and Making All Sorts
of improvements.

Washington. June SIN response to a
request from the House committee on ag-
riculture, President Roosevelt today for
warded to Representative Wadsworth, the
chairman of that committee, the report
made to him by committee of the de-
partment of agriculture regarding con-
ditlons in the Chicago meat packing
houses. Accompanying the report was
letter from the President in which he
points out there is no conflict in substance
between the Neill- Reynolds report and
that of the agricultural department ex-
perts.
| The President quotes letter received
| from a most competent and trustworthy
witness In Chicago to the effect that the
! packing house proprietors are manifesting
| a humorous haste to clean up, repave and
attempt to plan for future changes. New
toilet rooms are being provided, with adj
ditional dressing rooms and clean towels |
The report says that 1.-THE haste toward |
reform would have been amusing II it |
were not nearly tragic"
The President says his Investigations
have not been completed, but that |
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
Following is the text of the letter of
the President to Chairman Wadsworth;
Text of Presidents Letter.
1.-THE White House,
washington, D. c.. June s, 1906.
MY Dear Mr.. Wadsworth-In accord
ance with your request | send you here
with the two reports of inspection by the
/ on, the deDartment
| of agriculture on April and 10. This
| committee had already been appointed
I when I notified the secretary that de-
sired such a committee should be appoint
| ed in order to make the investigation
Subsequent complaints to me and the con-
sideraton of complaints already MADE
showed that the charges were not only
| against the packing houses but also to
| certain extent reflected upon the action
of the government inspectors, and L came
| to the conclusion that it was best to nave
an investigation by outside individuals
| who could not be charged with being in
any way interested in the matter
State Only What They Saw.
| Accordingly before the completion of the
| investigation by the department OF agri-
| culture I directed Mr.. Neill and Mr. Rey-
| nolds to make an investigation the nrst
report of which has been laid before Con-
| gress. Much testimony has been onered
| to us which has not been considered IN
| this report, for Messrs. Neill and Rey-
nolds In this report conhne themselves
| to stating in a more or less summary
way the facts as to which they had been
| eye-witnesses and what they have said
| can not be successfully controverted.
| Some of the ground traversed by Messrs.
Neill and Reynolds is not touched upon
| in the report of the committee of the
| agricultural department. AS to the ground
| covered in common by the reports of the
| two investigating committees there Is no
conflict in substance as to the important
| matters although there Is marked dit-
! ference in emphasis, this being partly
due to the greater length and detail OIL
| the report of the committee of the de-
| partment of agriculture In my judg-
| ment the emphasis of the report OF
| Messrs Neil and Reynolds Is abundantly
| justified by the facts To show the I'M
mediate and extraordinary change Tor tne
| better which the mere fact of their In
vestigation is already bringing about in
| the condition of the packing houses an
| chicago IL Is only necessary to instance
! the following portions of a letter received
from a most, competent ana TRUSTWORTHY
witness in Chicago. whose name | VIII
| rive to the committee of 1t so desires:
"chicago, Friday, June l.
Making Tour of Packing Houses.
Monday began a tour of all the great
| hacking houses, BOli6 iliot W iaDS' -
| then Swifts.
"T'uesday all the morning discussed
changes that ought to be made and
| caught a glimpse of the awakening at
Armours. In the afternoon visited the
plant with the superintendent
| .sWedne sday | rested and contemplated
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 ar
rives, they will have still more new iava-
| tories. toilet rooms, dressing rooms, etc.
| cusnidors everywhere and signs prohibit
ing shifting 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 Armo,lr's at my suggestion, | made
| no nretense of making an Investigation
| but frankly announced my desire to see
things for myself and to get fresh I'M
| preston of conditions, as had not seen
| the plants before the strike On every
| hand there was indication of almost hui
| morous haste to clean up, repave and
| even to plan for future changes. Brand
new toilet rooms. new dressing rooms.
| new towels, etc. Swifts and Armours were
both so cleaned UP that / was compell-
| ed to cheer them on their - by ex-
| pressing pleasure at the changes
The sausage girls were moved up
/ stairs where they could get sun and light;
they, too, 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
| canning and surfing ROOM chip beef and
| beef extract at Armours seemed really
| quite good. In all of these rooms the
| girls work. At Libby's the girls are to be
| put into a blue calico uniform. which they
| will buy at half price. They are putting
| in toilet rooms which they say are tenn
| porary. and thought when the building is
| remodelled they will have these put In a
| better place. The haste towards reform
| would have been amusing if 1t were not
/ so nearly tragic.
They tried 10 win my help on the