The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-08

washed as clean as water and scrub
brush can make them
Chairman Wadsworrh read Dsecs-
| meal what may be termed the startling
features OF the report and as he pro-
| nounced each Indictment, paused fer
answers. Mr.. Wilson did not attempt
TO deny that odors arose from the en-
trails and offal Of the carcasses, out
| he said they were removed as prompt
! ly as possible
, The charge that there were toilet
rooms off the work rooms was admit
ted, and the practice defended as not
being more unsanirary than a toilet
| room off a bed room in the first class
hotel, as the toilets were kept in good
| condition
Suitable places were furnished work
| men 10 wash, he said, and asserted
| that the men all carried punches of
| cheese-cloth which were used as tow
els. The men preferred this, said Mr.
Wilson.
Repeating his invitation To members
of the committee to visit the packing
houses, Mr.. Wilson said that the
houses are always open and that mil
lions of people passed through every
year.
IF we should visit the packing
houses would there be any changes
made before We arrived" asked Mr.
Wadsworth-
I'VE always take advantage of good
suggestions and MesSrs. Neill and Rey-
nolds made some" replied Mr.. Wilson.
He thought the changes, however,
would not prevent the committee from
getting at the facts.
Mr. Wilson questioned a charge made
in the Neill- Reynolds report that a
carcass of a hog had slipped from Il
carrier into a privy, and had been
picked up and placed with clean car
casses He called upon Mr.. Neill TO
state that it did not happen in one CT
the big packing houses.
"It did happen in one of the big
concerns Neill replied emphatically.
Although requested by members Of the
committee to state which one, Neil re-
fused.
But some of the very things that
Mr.. Wilson has just now denied" he
said, happened at Nelson Morris &
Company's place
Speaking of the charge that men
climbed on to the meat in their work,
Mr. Wilson explained in detail the
method of boning 'chucks." Chucks.
he said, was the upper part of the
front leg A bone had to be removed,
and this work is done by piece work
A man might reach or climb on TO The
meat to get a small chuck, but this
was against the regulations and men
would be discharged if caught doing Il.
Asked about the statement that EN-
ployes relieved themselves on the
floor Mr. Wilson was inclined to ques-
ton this entirely. If it was seen il
must have been in one Of the smaller
houses.
"Mr. Reynolds or Mr.. Neill would
have to stand around a long time to
see anything Of that kind in a large
packing house." he said, "and any man
doing it would be Instantly discharg-
ed"
Reading about the man with a dirty
apron and dirty clothes who had no
means of cleaning his hands except TO
wipe them on his dirty clothes, and
that there was no water in the room,
he said it would be impossible for an
apron ~ look clean after being worn
for twenty minutes.
The only dyes used were those to
color the castings of the sausage end
not for meats.
AS to the character of the employees,
he denied that they weer the refuse CT
humanity, or that the recent strike had
made any change. Ninety-five per
cent of those employed since that
strike were union men.
Mr.. Wilson then took up the Bever-
idge amendment.
I'VE should very much prefer" he
remarked, "if the date on the labels
| or cans might be omitted" He also
suggested that some carcasses might
| be found unsound, and at the same
| time might be fit for food, or some
| portion of them. He wanted the Ian
guage to condemn carcasses only
| when carcasses ARE found to be uE-
| fit for human food"
To illustrate, he said a carcass might
be bruised on the shoulder, and other
wise all right.
| What is the use of burdening the
law with a lot Of adjectives such a
| sound, 'healthful,' etc" Mr.. Wilson
made the same objection 10 the use OF
| the words, impure" ''unsOund, 'un-
healthful,' etc, wherever they quail
| fed the inspection throughout the
amendment, and the committee spent
some time in discussing the question.
There would be no objection, he said,
to a sanitary regulation as strong as
practicable. He admitted that the
names Of products did not describe the
article AS an example, he said, his
firm sold oxford sausage, which was
a pork sausage sold under the name
| .Oxford Another article named
/ Brown" was simply a beef steam.
At this point the committee al
| iourned until tomorrow.
pcsfmaSfer Grubh Murdered and His