The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-05
tuberculosis Sputun is Con-
tinuaIy ShOVeIed Into the
Sausage HoppeTs
MEN CRAWL, WALK AND SIT
ON FINEST GRADES OF MEAT
Same y. ives Are Used to Cut Up Dis
eased Animals as Are Used
to Carve Fine
Grades.

Washington, June 4.-When the speaker
laid before the house today President
Roosevelt's message and summary of the
Investigation made by Messrs Neill and
Reynolds on the methods of the beef
packers, great interest was displayed by
the members IN the message of the presi-
dent
The reading of the message was closely
followed, and at its conclusion there was
a show of applause which was instantly
checked by the speakers referring the
document and the accompanying papers
to the committee on agricultural. The
text of the message and report is as fol-
lows:
The Senate and House of Representatives:
| transmit herewith the report of Mr..
James Bronson Reynolds and Commits
sioner Charles p. Neill. the special commit
tee whom l appointed to investigate into
the conditions in the stock yards of Chi
'Sdgo and report thereon 10 nle. This re-
port is of preliminary nature. submit
1t to you now because 1t shows the iir-
gent need of immediate action by the Con-
gress in the direction of providing dras-
tic and thoroughgoing inspection by the
federal government Of all stock yards and
SO far as the latter enter into interstate
or foreign commerce. The conditions
shown by even this short inspection to
exist in the Chicago stock yards are re-
voting. 1t is imperatively necessary in
the interest of health and of decency that
they should be radically changed. Under
the existing law it is wholly impossible to
secure satisfactory results.
When my attention was first directed to
this matter an investigation was made
under the bureau of animal industry of
the department of agriculture. When the
preliminary statements of this investiga-
tion were brought to my attention they
showed such defects in the law and such
wholly unexpected conditions that l
deemed 1t best to have a further immedi
ate investigation by men not connected
with the bureau, and accordingly appoint
ell Messrs. Reynolds and Neill. 1t was i'm
possible under the existing law that sat
isfactory work should be done by the
bureau of animal industry. 1 am now,
however, examining the way in which the
work actually was done.
Labels Placed on Meat.
Before 1 had received the report of
Messrs. Reynolds and Neill had directed
that labels placed upon any package of
meat food products should state only that
the carcass of the animal from which the
meat was taken had been inspected at
meat food products at all stages of prepa-
ration is not secured by the passage of
the legislation recommended l shall feel
compelled to order that inspection labels
and certificates on canned products shall
not be used hereafter.
The report shows that the stock yards
and packing houses are not kept even
reasonably clean, and that the method OF
handling and preparing food products is
uncleanly and dangerous to health. Under
existing law the national government has
no power to enforce inspection of the
many forms of prepared meat food pro-
ducts that are daily going from the pack
ing houses into interstate commerce. Ow-
ing to an inadequate appropriation the de-
partment of agriculture is not even able
to place inspectors in all establishments
desiring them. The present law prohibits
the shipment of uninspected meat to for
eign countries, but there Is no provision
forbidding the shipment of uninspected
meats in interstate commerce. and thus
the avenues of interstate commerce are
n left open to traffic in diseased or spoiled
= heats If. as has been alleged on SEEM
insy good authority further evils exist,
such as the improper use of chemicals
and Wes. the government lacks power to
remed, them. A law is needed which will
enable the inspectors of the general gov
ernmenN to inspect and supervise from the
hoof to the can the preparation of the
meat food product. The evil seems to be
much less In the sale of dressed carcasses
than In the sale of canned and other pre-
pared products; and very much less as
regards products sent abroad than as
regards those used at home.
Pay Expense BY Fees.
In my Judgment the expense of the in
spection should be paid by fee levied
on each animal slaughtered If this is not
done, the whole purpose of the law can at
any time be defeated through an insuffi-
Client appropriation; and whenever there
was no particular public interest in the
subject 1t would be not only easy but
natural thus to make the appropriation IN
sufficient. If 1t were not for this consid-
Grafton | should favor the government
paying for the inspection
The alarm expressed in certain quarters
concerning this feature should be allayed
by a realization Of the fact that In no case.
under such a law, will the cost of in
spection exceed cents per head.
7 call special attention to the fact that
this report is preliminary, and that the
investigation is still unfinished 1t is not
yet possible to report on the alleged
! abuses In the use of deleterious chemical
compounds in connection with canning. and
preserving meat products. nor on the al
legged doctoring in this fashion of tainted
meat and of products returned to the
packers as having grown unsalable or
unusable from age or from other reasons.
fe~u$rrunrl - Ra~aad Rnonl