The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-06-30

English Meat Horrors Described by Dr.
Cooper Of the 4. G.. c.

{taE2
| There has been another conference b
medical officers now ADJOURNED at sth'
| local government board, in pursuance b
1 Mr.. Burns policy Of making full sas,
Of the lessons taught by the American
meat scandals 1t il believed that sths
ultimate outcome win be the issuing b,
the board Of more stringent regulations
4 for the inspection Of cattle and meat
and of establishments where timed food
stuffs are prepared ~
/ How urgent IL the need was striking
w shown IN the Daily News this day
week BY Dr. Cooper, Ne p. who diseov-
cred the evils. in the London meat trade
during his craftsmanship Of the Il. q. G.
public health committee. Since the doe.
tor uttered his warning in these col.
umns Is regard to London meat he has
reived from distinguished veterinary
| surgeon in the west Of England reveal.
ing terrible state Of things in conn-
\ try districts.
Il am glad writes DR.. Cooper's cor,
respondent, shat you are speaking out
about the existence Of meat horrors in
| this country, as well as IN America.
From my long experience as veter-
nary surgeon, | can assure on that the
American disclosures are not much
worse than what goes on here.
4 have a country practice; and what
one sees is terrible. There are a cerihn
class Of butchers known az screw butfh.
lers. These people visit all the faiths.
generally IN splendid tufnouts, and tbey
buy up all the dying and diseased cat.
tie they can. They refuse we'll fed tsats
tie when offered because the Others. Of
course, are cheaper, At night they send
around cattle noat, well filed With
straw, and off 10 the awful beasts TO
private slaughter houses am cnns
tident that the most Of the meat gets
through.
II find II little use tring to persuade
the owners Of these ailing cattle not
" have them slaughtered, seeing that
they do moi know what terrible dis
eases they may be suffering from.
Only today ! visited i big farm. and
was asked TO look at q pig which had
dropped down dead. | was told it was
to be dressed by the butcher and made
ready for market. Although | warned
the owner Of the consequences, it went.
IT Is certainly time that something
Was done In this country to stop this
practice OF ,sclling the meat Of dead and
diseased animals ! believe the private
slaughter house to he responsible for
much of the mischief.
DR. Cooper handed me the letter after
reading ii. He went on to say that
the writer bad put his finger on the
cause Of the biggest evils in the meat
trade.
= mean in his reference to the pri
vate slaughter house, resumed the doe
tor. i know the same kind OF thing
he describes as going on in the country
is taking place in London. II Is inn
possible 70 stop It until You abolish
the private slaughter house and ret
properly qualified meat inspectors.
But arc there no farms for rearing
either good or bad cattle in London y
No, but there are COW Sheds" came
the prompt response. "Do you know
there are 1000 COWS in London kept
for milking purposes alones About d
quarter OF the number have TO be re-
Moved every year ! know there arc
many honorable men IN the business
but | also know that very few Of the
J 900 COWS which ARE displaced every
year 90 to the knackefsr yard. They 10
to the butcher. When COW Is drained
of It's milk il Is not III for human food.
it often happens, too, tbat sehen these
beasts in the London COW sheds are I'LL
the veterinary surgeon is not sent for,
but the butcher.
Indeed there are several men in
London who make n good living BY 90
ing around the COW sheds and buying
for song the aiIing COWS or thuse that
no longer yield milk. They have no
difficulty IN getting them slaughtered.
If they do not possess a slaughtsfing
house Of their own many Of theun do
not they hire one periodically. The
license holder may bc d decent man, who
would not knowingly slaughter II dis.
eased animal himself, but he does not
pretend to take the responsibility for
what others do In his slaughter house
The carcssses are often 50 bad that |
the men who trade III them dare not
send the meat TO Smithfeld. They /
dispose Of them to butchers privately
Generally they have no difficulty int
finding a ready market. because They
can afford 70 take less than the ruling
prices, having bought The cows 50 cheap.
~.
"Of course, there are honorable butch.
ers, as there are honorable COW Keepers.
The former would never think of buy +
ing piece of questionable beef any
more than the hitter would think Of sell
ing 4 diseased cow. But those cow keep
crs who do get rid Of their animals In
the way have mentioned know per
fectly well the kind Of butchers 10 semi
for and where they are to be found.~
''You say the only cure for this kind
Of thing is 70 abolish private slaughter
II do. The London county council /
has ninilnized the evil 10 some extent
W reducing the number Of such places
IN London from esf TO 3s5. We have
too, and the local anthori
ties have alse power TO inspect; but the
system Of inspection Is wholly made.
lunte, You cannot always have an
inspector present. Besides the sln,,pbt.
sring Of diseased animals Is carried on
at such hours AZ the inspectors nrc not
likely TO turn up. Then IL Is n regular
practice to remove at once from the
afcass those portions that always show
he disease.
What We want are public abattoirs
before this terrible evil bCt IN town