The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-06-08
Says He Was Asked To Make
No Report and Give Packers
TIME TO CLEAN PLACES UP.
Sensation in committee--Presiden In
vestigator Declares Forcibly That
Everything in Report Is
True.


Washington, June s.--Dr. Charles p
Ncill, commissioner oil labor, who with
James y. Reynolds prepared the report
for President Roosevelt that showed re
Voting conditions in the Chicago packing
plants, caused Il sensation yesterday
when he appeared before the House COM
mittee ON agriculture. He read letter
from Dr. Dyson, Il former government
inspector, but now with the packers.
III which Dyson requested him to make
no report, but To return To Washington,
give the packers thirty days to clean
up, and then make an inspection, and
BY so doing prevent any agitation on
the subject. The letter was read as
q response To another letter from by
son, read by Thomas Ii. Wilson, the
packers representative. Wednesday, In
which il was represented that the pack
ers were anxious for an inspection.
Neill was sharply crosssrxanlined BY
Chairman Wadswnrth and Representative
Ioriiner, who are friendly To the pack
ers, but III the face BIZ this he main
tanned that conditions were as bad as
his report described.
Very many conditions, Dr. NciII held,
were due simply 70 negligence. III some
Of the rooms conditions were uipanion,
ably bad Rooms were found IN which
meat products were being prepared where
there had been no water for weeks, and
where filth was caked on the floor.
Clean rooms alternatrd with dirty rooms.
and there was 4 complete absence OF ey.
idence of systematic sanitary care or
TRAIT Importance WAS attached to sani-
tuition.
DIR. Neill took direct issue with Will
son that the rooms were Systematically
cIcaned III the morning.
Chairman Wadsworth inquired why II
was Nell reported everything in criti
cism 81 the packers and nothing III
praise.
The commissioner discussed shortcom-
ings III construction 1T buildings, and
said in one largo building constructed N
the last few years the same faults Of
the older buildings were repeated.
As to meats being thrown on the floor,
DIR. Neill told Of ease in the Morris
plant where hams we're piled on the floor
after being boned and an employee, in
plain sight Of the superintendent, climb
Cd OYER them with dirty boots in search
lof choice pieces.
The cooking and canning watts were de-
scribed as filthy.
Wilson. before DIR. Naill was called.
argued that the inspection cost under
/ the system proposed would not rest on
consumer or producer. hut on the pack
crs. and that ii would 70 TO reduce their
profits. He declared the packers were
losing $1000,0Oo a year BY condemna
tion Of inspectors, and thought they
should stand no added loss. lie impress
ed on the committee the small profits
Of the packing business. and dwelt ut
length on the danger TO American bust.
ness abroad OF the competition OF Arren-
tina and Australia.
what is the result on your foreign
market of the present agitation asked
| MIR. Wadsworth.
~The result is very disastrous re-
/ piled the witness. ~Our foreign demand
4 for fresh meats and manufactured pro-
duets has been practically cut IN two.
Our foreign competitors arc all max
/ ing the most of this and getting the
bencfft Of agitation, and was are stand
ing the loss"
Z London, June Tin the House of
! Commons yesterday Hugh Cecil Lea, Lib
eral IA newspaper proprietor who has
SerYcd iu the British aud American ar.
miss) sptsssei the government for an
assurance lhat mo more American timed
meat would hc purchased for the British
army. He asserted from personal OBJ
seryation that the conditions under which
4 it is packed are revolving.
War Secretary Haldane replied that
he would be sorry 20 insist that all
| timed meats must be bought in the
United Kingdom. He had sent an off
Ger to the United States to inspect all
tins before any were purchased.
The secretary added that the war
Office had bought large quantities Of tin.
ned meat in America and had a large
contract for further supplies. At the
present moment, the secretary reminded
\ the House. the United States was not
the only place where bad meat was
\ turned ont. The question Of the purity
Of British products had been raised at
home at times in the past. The whole
question required an investigation. He
4 knew personally under what disgusting
4 conditions meat in some cases was pack.
ed in the United States.