Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-02
LABELLING CANNED MEAT.
Secretary Wilson Has Something to
 Say on Subject.

Secretary Wilson Has Something to
 Say on Subject.
 Washington, D. c, Jan 2.-"Amer- ican meat labels are an absolute guarantee of the purity, soundness and wholesomeness of our meat food products"
 Secretary Wilson, of the depart ment of agriculture yesterday made this statement and he added he made it with a definite knowledge of its accuracy. The statement was called out by reports made to the city of London, England, by Dr Col | lingridge the medical officer of health for that city, on the meat inspection at the central market.
 T regret to say" Dr Collingridge's report says, what experience has shown that, although the label (American) is an excellent specimen of steel plate engraving, it has hitherto been of little service to your officers in assisting them in the work of supervision, and certainly is no guarantee as to the condition of the meat"
 Further along in the report, Dr Collingridge says that the frozen meats brought to London from Amer i ica are source of moth trouble. "No inspection" says the report. "can be of any real value in dealing with this particular form of meat, and the only safe plan Is entirely to exclude it from the country" "Dr Collingridge is entirely mis- taken in his premises" continued Secretary Wilson, "He says himself that his report refers to conditions which existed between 1900 and 1905. The conditions which now exist in this country with respect to the inspection of meats intended for export or for interstate commerce are quite different from what they were during the period to which this report refers. Even during those five years our exported meats were carefully inspected, and l am quite sure were entirely free from any sort of disease. Microscopic examin- ations for tuberculosis, for several years, have been made of practically all meats and meat products intend- ed for export, and in every case, without exception where indications of the disease were discovered the meat was destroyed. Hundreds of live animals afflicted with tuber- culosis and other diseases are con- demned by the department of agri- culture every year. Every precaution is taken that science, ingenuity and ability can suggest to insure the soundness and purity of all our meat products.
 "Dr Collingridge refers particular ly to the frozen meats exported from America, but they really cut very little figure in our foreign commerce. Such frozen meats as are exported to Great Britain and other foreign countries consist of small pieces, trimmings, and the like. They are, of course. subjected to the same rigid action that all other meats are given, and so far as I am aware they are perfectly sound and wholesome. We send abroad no quarters or carcasses that are frozen. Such meats go in refrigeration, that is. they are killed merely to preserve them in transit.
 What I have said refers par ticularly to the period covered by Dr Collingridge's c report. Under the re- gently enacted meat inspection law our regulations are very much more
 rigid and exacting than they ever
 have been before. I can say with certainty that the meat sent abroad
 from America to Great Britaia,s or
 to any other country, is absolutely sound and wholesome. It is impos- sible. under our regulations and sys- tenn of inspection. for impure or diseased meat 10 get into interstate |. or foreign commerce. If were in- cIined to be critical. I might say that lDr ColIingridge's report. SO far as il is applicable to American meat pro ducts, is so disingenuous as to in. dicate that the Doctor is looking for. ward to a retention of his job. With
 perfect assurance of the truthfulness of the statement. I can say that nc country in the world to-day guards more carefully the wnolesomeness oi [ its meat food products than does tho |, United States. We shall continus . four system of rigid inspection of sucf !. lproduets. and I am confident that th' proper officials of Great Britain . eventually will coincide. even if thel
 do not now, with the authorities oi
 continental countries. in aeeeptins
 without question. the guarantee con
 veyed by the American label con