The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1906-06-09
CONDITIONS IN
PACKING HOUSE,
Facts Found by Commissioners Ne'''
and Reynolds.
Words Not Minced. RepuIslve Facts
Not BIinked in Telling unsan'tarY
cnod,,;ons-How the Meat is Pre-
pared-Conditions Are Thorough
Iy Disgusting,

wssh;nvtop June b.-The following
,s tbe report in brief Of Commissioners
NeilI and Reynolds to the president on
the packing house situation IN cni'aso,
"No statement as fact which was
not verified by personal examination.
Floors. carts, tubs are OF wood, water
soaked, only half cleansed, meat scraps
and grease adhering TO them ana oo''
Letting dirt. .o
Meat racks and conveyors inadequate
" clearsed, grease and meat scraps ao-
herring to them, even after they are
washed.
Closets Tor both men and women cut
off from workrooms by thin wooden
partitions. Lunchrooms often adJoln
them =,
Washing sinks not furnished at all
or email and dirty, with neither to"e's'
soap or toilet paper. Men and women
directly from the closets plunge un-
washed hands into the meat.
Men sometimes relieve themselves on
killing floors and swell the sum OF nau-
seating odors from dirty, blood soaked
rotting floors.
One New York slaughter house is
model in contrast with Chicago, con-
structed largely OF iron and cement,
flushed and thoroughly cleansed every
day.
Workmen climb over heaps OF meat,
SOLICIT nieee thew want and throw it Cd
dirty floor. In cutting, they hold meat
against aprons of leather or rough sack,
ing, indescribably filthy. They stand
with dirty shoes on tables on which
meat is handled. AT lunch hour they
sit on these tables. All this is undel
eye of superintendent.
Meat shoveled from dirty floors,
which are damp and soggy, piled on
tables rarely washed, pushed in wooden
box carts, gathering dirty spllnters
floor filth and expectoration OF tubercu'
lous and other diseased workers.
Best grades Of sausage prepared fol
export TO be eaten uncooked is cartef
in barrow with handles filthy with
grease, thrown on table, on which EN-
ploye climbs, handles meat with I'M
washed hands, kneels with dirty apron
and trousers in contact with meat.
Inspection does not extend to prepar
ed meat food. though these products
bear label stating they have passed gov
ernmsnt inspection.
Not yet prepared to report on use o
dyes, preservatives and chemicals.
Fresh meat shoveled into barrels ant
regular proportion of stale scraps added
from dirty floor.
Meat scraps, dry, leathery and unf
to be eaten, among which were fount
pieces of pigskin,- bits of rope and othe
rubbish, to be used in making pottet
ham.
All these canned products bear label
saying they passed government inspec
ton and quality is guaranteed.
Labels washed from old canned
goods, which are then heated to oliver
up' contents and given fresh labels.
superintendent seem to ignore al
considerations except those of the &C
count book.
tuberculosis is disproportioIatel
prevalent in the stockyards, and victim
expectorate on floors of workrooms
from which falling scraps OF meat ar
shoveled up to be converted into food.
Callous disregard is SHOWN for com
fort OF employees. Girls stand ten hour
a day at work which could he as vel
done sitting.
Conditions are degradation to MOI
ais and menace to health of employees.
Meat should be inspected afte
slaughter on killing beds. Hogs shout
be inspected for trichinosis for Ameri
can as well as foreign consumer. N
meat should be marked inspected unles
inspected at every stage of preparation
Secretary OF agriculture should be give
power to make rules regarding santa
ton and construction of buildings
Transportation of unexpected mea
from state to state should be prohibited
Number of inspectors should be largel
increased. Special government inspec
tion should be carried on continuously
Standards of inspection should
studied and published.