Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-12
Great Interest Taken in the
Meat Inspection Amend
ments In Senate
DISEASED CATTLE SHIPMENTS
Corn Belt Meat Producers Want to
Ship Diseased Stock Under Certain
Restrictions, as They Can Find Mar
ket-otherwise Complete Loss
Would Result.

Des Moines, June 12.-H. c. Wallace,
secretary of the Corn Belt Meat Pro-
ducers' Association, yesterday declar-
ed that the livestock men of the west
would line up slightly against the pro-
posal to prohibit the shipment of dis
eased livestock and put penalty up
The Corn Belt association, which has
become strong factor in Iowa, as
well as the association of western
livestock men, will use every effort to
prevent the enactment by congress of
an amendment to the meat inspection
law to bring about such an end. AL
ready steps have been taken to this
end.
The proposal included in one of
the substitutes to the Beveridge meat
inspection bill, to impose a penalty up
on any farmer or shipper who ships UNI
sound and unhealthful animals to
market would paralyze the livestock
industry of the corn belt" said Mr.
Wallace, simply because the farmer
and shipper has 10 means of knowing
whether he has in his shipment ami
mails which may be diseased.
There may be said to be two
classes of diseased animals, those in
which the disease is apparent and
those In which it is not. Take the
disease known as lump jaw or actin
imycosis This is usually apparent to
the eye in the form of a lump on the
jaw. AS rule, the disease is not dis
tributed thru the system. and the flesh
is just as healthful as the flesh of any
other animal. When a lump jawed
demned on foot. Then it is butchered
and the inspector makes careful ex-
animation of the meat. If the disease
is found to have been confined to the
jaw the meat is At for food. and is
sold. No one suffers any harm under
this system. The shipper is paid
whatever his steer is worth. M
Suppose, however, that law ia
enacted which will prohibit the ship
ping of diseased animals. The feed
er must then dispose Of this lump jaw
steer at home, which would usually
mean an absolute loss to him, because
he cannot tell whether the disease is
localized in the jaw or whether the
flesh is diseased He may sell the
steer to the local butcher. who will
take his chances on the flesh being all
right. The flesh may be diseased and
as result many people may be maze
sick and some may die. Is it not bet
10 nj, tn .saf
where they will be inspected by the
government officials, who will OBJ
solutely protect the consumer, than
to kill them at home and run such
chances?
The Greatest Objection.
The greatest objection to this pro-
posal to forbid the shipment of dis
eased animals, however, comes from
the fact that it is impossible to deter
mine in many cases whether the ami
mails are diseased. Take tuberculosis,
for examine. Experience Of recent
years has shown that tuberculosis in
hogs can not be- detected in any practi-
cal way while the animals are alive.
The latest, most thrifty appearing
hogs may be the ones which have tu-
uGlSuiOolS. Liz SoIlhPpSh ihoS SSiAo q
:ar of hogs to market which may con-
tain " dozen or more hogs affected with
and be entirely innocent
This disease is detected now in the
only way it can be, by the examina-
ion of the carcass after the hogs are
The hogs which have tu-
oerculosis are condemned on post |
norteln examination.
1T is infinitely better to make and |
enforce the most rigid possible inspec-
ion laws at all of the central markets
and then permit free shipment of all |
than it would be to forbid the |
shipment of diseased animals and alb
pa1alyZe the live stock indus
ny of the corn belt. In one case the
is protected and the diseased
,nimals are destroyed. If the ship
nent of diseased animals is prohibited |
t would simply result in them being
,illed at home without inspection, or
etained in the herd and bred from and
hus communicate the disease to other
and increase many times the
otal amount of disease in the coun-
ry.
'The central west depends for it's
upon the live stock industry
rhe interests of every man, woman and
hild west of the Mississippi is bound
ip in this great industry. 1t is abso-
utely essential to the prosperity of the
vest that a stringent inspection law
e enacted without further delay, but
would be ruinous to undertake to
rohibit the shipment Of diseased ami
oa1s unless a rnvarnn1ant Veterinarian