Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-06-04
PRESIDENT AFTER
PACKING HOUSES
Sends Message to
Congress With
Report.
FILTH AND c0NTAG|0N
Abound OH Every Hand In
Places Where Meats Are
Handled, He Asserts.

Washington, June 4--Presldent
Roosevelt sent the following message
to Congress today:
Il transmit herewith the report OF
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
sioner Charles p. Neill, special COM
mission whom ! appointed to investi-
gate into the condition of the stock
yards at Chicago and report thereon
to me. This report is Of preliminary
nature. | submit it to you now be-
cause it shows the urgent need of i'm.
mediate action by Congress in this
direction providing for drastic and
thorough going inspection by the fed
eral government of all stock yards
and packing houses and Of their pro-
ducts so far as the latter enter into
interstate or foreign commerce. Con
ditions shown by even this short in.
spection are revolving. 1t is impera-
lively necessary in the interest OF
decency that they should be radically
changed Under the existing law it
Is wholly impossible to secure salts.
factory results. | urge the immediate
enactment of law provisions which
will enable the department of agricul-
ture to adequately inspect meat and
meat food products entering into in
terstate commerce and to supervise
methods for preparing the same and
to prescribe sanitary conditions under
which the work shall be performed.
therefore commend to your favorable
consideration and urge the enactment
of substantial provisions known as
Senate amendment number 20 to the
act making appropriations for the De
partment of Agriculture, commonly
known as the Beveridge amendment
Shiny, Filthy Rooms.
The report says that two and a
half weeks were spent In the investi
cation in the Chicago packing houses
and a day was spent by Mr. Reynolds
in the investigation OF New York
slaughter houses The report says In
many rooms where water Is used free.
ly, the floors are soaked and Shiny
and that dark dingy rooms are not
kept suitably clean. An absence of
cleanliness was found everywhere in
handling meat In the cooling room
the workers climb over heaps of
meat, select pieces they wish and fire.
quently throw them down upon dirty
floors beside their benches. The re.
port says radical defect In the in
spectlon system Is that 1t Is confined
at present by law to passing on the
healthfulness of the animals at the
time of killing, but that the meat used
in suasage and various forms OF
canned products and other prepared
meat foods goes through many pro
cesses in all of which there is a pos
sibility of contamination through un.
sanitary handling and further danger
through the use of chemicals. During
all these processes there Is no govern
ment inspection although these pro
ducts when sent out bear a label stat
Ing that they were passed upon by
government inspectors. The report ar
raigned the sanitary provisions In the
buildings as abominable and says that
the men and women plunge their un.
washed hands into meat to be CON
verted into food products. The de-
partment superintendents seem to
ignore all considerations except the
account book and that the proper care
of the products and of the health and
comfort of the employees is impossible
and the consumer consequently suf,
fers.
consumptives Expecorate on Floors.
Tuberculosis victims expectorate
on the spongy wooden floors of the
dark rooms from which falling scraps
of meat are shoveled up later to be
converted into food products.
The report urges the compulsory
examination after the slaughter, an
increase of inspectors for night in.
spection and special work of legisla-
tion prohibiting declarations Of gov
eminent inspection on food products
unless subject to government inspec-
tion at every stage of their prepara-
tion; prohibiting interstate transpor.
tation of any meat food products not
inspected and labeled; considering the
question of specific labelling all car.
casses sold as fresh meat which upon
examination after slaughtering show
signs Of disease but are still deemed
suitable for food, and recommends the
study of the inspection standards of
other countries.