The Washington times., 1906-05-28

without being cleaned was sent along
and cut up for food
He sonnd diseased meat placed in the
same room with good meat intended for
! canning. and he asserted that only one
: OF the five parts of a can was made mp
Of the former. Potted hams appeared
10 consist OF pigskin and other pieces or
hog not used for legitimate purposes.
These were colored and placed upon the
market \ brand OF sausage was any
! thing hut sausage
The only meat that was good was beef
| sold for roasts, steaks. etc.
The class Of employees was not high
and it was difficult to expect them 10
know much about sanitation.
The conditions under which women
employees In the canning department.
work were deDlOrable. They were com
PEELED to stand In water much OF the
time and the temperature of the room
was low. Press representatives Of the
packers are keeping the closest KIND or
I watch on every scrap of matter pub
| iished regarding alleged uncleaniiness
and vile methods of slaughterinE. pre-
pairing and canning meats for domestic
/ and foreign consumption, and are writ
ing polite letters asking the writer's 10
come and make an Investigation them
selves under the escort OF an agent or
the company.
Long statements have been given out
/ 10 the press here by each of the COM
panies. in which the stories Of hlth an1
unsanitary environment are denied
These statements are strangely alike.
The main theme is that. II there is
bad condition OF affairs in the stock
yards plants. II must be In the smaller
slaugEtering houses and older plants, OF
which there are about thirty
Inspection Force Small
The members Of the big Four" main
tain that the present system ot govern
ment and local inspection is sufhcientsto
protect foreign. domestic, and Chicago
consumers against the unwholesOms
meats Those who have made unofficial
investigation the so-ceIed muck
rakers" declare that the system is
fundamentally and practically had and
Inadequate Il Is supposed that Messrs.
McNcill and Reynolds take the samo
position and that they are fortified with
evidence 20 prove their case.
investigators say there IS practically
no espionage at the stock yards here at
night. and that under cover of darkness
many things transpire justifying tha
position President Roosevelt has taken.
Diseased meats are said to find their
way 10 small houses. with or without
the sanction Of the big companies. and
from there into the market for human
food 1t is admitted that foreign con-
Sumers get the best Of the inspection. .
that consumers outside Of Chicago in
this country fare next hest and that the
people of Chicago. especially the poorer
classes. suffer most from whatever pol
lUted meats are sold for table food
Under the proposed new system il is
expected that first class inspection will
go on through the night and that II will
no longer be possible to slaughter for
human consumption cattle that have al
ready been condemned on the hCof II
Is also considered most important that
under the system all animals showing
symptoms Of disease must be slaughter
ed @cp1rately and the CarCasSes be dis
posed Of Immediately in such manner
that the diseased meats cannot be lost
IN that which has passed muster.
Inspectors Influenced.
Critics Of stock yards conditions say
there is evidence that some Of the in
spectors are under the direct influence
Of the packers and so carry on their
espionage that a minimum loss IS i'm
posed on the packers through the CON
demnation Of animals and carca sses.
To establish that fact would reoufr,. a
court inquiry 1t does seem likely. how
ever, that the charge that the present
system Is Inadequate 10 protect all kinds
Of consumers Is susceptible 10 proof
Observers OF conditions say there are
not enough inspectors TO do the work
properly and that there is not sniff
clent cross checking OF inspection
work
II Is difficult 10 say what percentage
OF the loss under the new system will
fall upon the owners or cattle and ht Ps
and or the packers themselves fscth
VIII suffer 20 some extent. but not 10
for violent protest at Washington
l nder the best inspection OF the past
the percentage Of animals condemned
has not been large.