The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-05

O.~~~sy r. self flushing bowls. white Dorceiain lined nl'sror wash Moaai basins; shower baths and provided, and every thing is kept clean. The effect of all these excellencies of construction and arrangement Is evi- dent In promoting the care of the pro- duets and in elevating the morals of the workers.
 The. same principles of sanitation cleanliness of the workers would rev olutionize the stock yards of Chicago. and the attainment of such standard
 sSea be the sns Of the sf ss os cago.
 Gnder existing conditions the burden of protecting the cleanliness and whole someness of the products and the health of the workers and of tmprov- ing the conditions under which the work is performed, must fall upon the Treatment of Meats and Prepared Food
 Products. <
 Uncleanliness in handling products.- found everywhere in the handling of meat food products. After Killing. car, nsss time they S reach @ % the cooiins % p room m are are handled in a fairly sanitary and cleanly manner. The parts that leave the cool Ing rcom ,r fSr I bulk are also the parts that are sent from the cool ing room to those departments of the packing houses in which various forms of meat products are prepared are han sled with no regard whatever for clean liness. In some of the largest estab- iishments sides that are sent to what thrown n in a heap upon the floor. The workers climb over these heaps of meat, select the pieces they wish, and dirty floor beside their working bench. Even in cutting the meat upon the bench, the work Is usually held pressed Msre as 'nsr rae ae.0s asss fsSy They were made in most cases of leath- CT or of rough sacking and bore long accumufated grease and dirt In only a few places were suitable oilcloth aprons worn. Moreover. men were seen to climb from the floor and stand. with shoes dirty with the refuse of the meat was handled, They were seen at the lunch hour sitting on the Sebles on the spot on which the meat product was handled. and all this under the room. showing that this was the com mon practice.
 shoveled into receptacles from dirty floors where they were left to lie until again shoveled into barrels or into ma chimes for chopping. These floors. 1t and soggy, in dark. i'll ventilated rooms. and the employees in utter ignorance of cleanliness or danger to health ex- word, we saw meat shoyeled from filthy wooden floors. piled on tables rarely washed. pushed from room to which I processes it was in the way of gathering dirt, splinters. floor filth ana the expectoration of tuberculous and other diseased workers, Where com ment was made to floor superinten- dents about these matters, it was al, ways the reply that this meat would afterwards be cooked, and that ster- from its use Even this. it may be pointed out in passing, Is not wholly true A very considerable portion of the meat so handled IS, sent out as as sausages, which are prepared to be eaten without being cooked
 A particular glaring instance of un- cleanliness was found in room where the best grade of sausage was being prepared for export. It was made from carefully selected meats, and was be- ing prepared to be eaten uncooked: chopped up meat across room In a barrow, the handles of which were fil- thy with grease. The meat was then pioye climbed upon the table, handled the meat with his unwashed hands, knelt with his dirty apron and trous- spreading out. and. after he had fin- ished his operation, again took hold of the dirty handles of the wheelbar- row. went back for another load. and repeated this process indefinitely. In- uuiry developed the fact that there was no water in this room at all, and the only method. the man adopted for clean ing his hands was to rub them against his dirty apron or on his still filthier trousers.
 AS an extreme example of the entire disregard on the part of employees of any notion of cleanlinesss In handling dressed meat. we saw hog that had just been killed. cleaned, washed and started on Its way to the cooling room wooden floor and slide part way into filthy mems privy. It was picked up by two employees, placed upon truck, carried into ithe cooling room and hung up with other carcasses, no effort be- ing made to clean it.
 Treatment of meat after inspection.- tme of inspection is that 1t does not go far enough. It Is confined at pres ent by law to passing on the health fulness of animals at the time of kill sage and in the various forms of canned products and other prepared meat foods goes through many processes, in all taminatiou through insanitary hand ling, and further danger through the use of chemicals. During all these government inspection and no assur- ance whatever that these meat food products are wholesome and fit for food -despitn the fact that all these pro- ducts. when sent out. bear label stat ing they have been passed upon by government inspectors.
 As to the investigation of the al- legged use of dyes, preseratives. or chemicals in the preparation of cured meats, sausages and canned goods, we are not yet prepared to report. We did look into the matter of sanitary handling cf ln~ meats being pre- pared for the various food products.