The Topeka state journal., 1908-09-26
MISSES THE MARK
DIR. Crumbine Sharply Criticises
Meat Inspection.
Amount Inspected for Home
Consumption Is Small.
WOULD CHANGE PLAN.
Proposes Public Slaughter
House in Every County.
Under Supervision Of the Board
of Health.
WOULD CHANGE PLAN.

Washington, Sept. 2e.-Dr. S. j.
Crumbine. secretary of the Kansas
state board of health, and chief food
inspector of the state of Kansas, who
is attending a meeting of the state
and provincial board of health of
| North America, read a paper before
the conference today on the subject,
1.-THE necessity for country slaughter
| house and state meat inspection, with
some suggestions as to suitable laws
or regulations governing the same"
DR.. Crumbine presented figures to
show that approximately one-half of
the meat consumed in the United
States has never been inspected by
any federal or state meat inspectors.
He also showed that the passage of
| the federal meat Inspection laws has
tended to drive the diseased cattle,
| sheep and swine more and more to
| the country slaughter house, where it
| may be worked up into meat and put
on the market without being in
| DR.. Crumbine presented figures to
| show that there were 7,633,OOO cat
| tie slaughtered under federal in
| spection, 100000 slaughtered on
farms, and 4.972,o52 slaughtered by
| butchers in the country slaughter
houses. He estimates that a large
| percent of the beef prepared in pack
| ing houses under federal inspection
| is shipped abroad, leaving the amount
of inspected meat for home use COM
| paratively small. The same general
ration applies to sheep, swine and
! calves.
| Dr. Crumbine then says:
''If we have hitherto held a fancied
sense of security in the belief that all
| our meat was now good, by reason of
the passage of the federal meat in
| spection law we may forthwith dis
| pense with that delusion.
with the facts, then. before us,
that approximately one-half of the
| meat consumed in this country daily
has not been inspected as to it's
wholesomeness, and with the agree
| ment on every hand as to the un-
sanitary condition of the average
slaughter house. what measures
| might be suggested by which these
conditions may be satisfactorily met?
| At the outset. it might be said that
| these conditions must be met by state
| laws or regulations, as the un-
| inspected animals are presumably all
consumed in the states in which they
are slaughtered, and therefore not
| subject to interstate or federal regula-
| tions. 1t is at once admitted that the
| problem presents many difficulties,
and there seem to be two ways by
| which these difficulties may be met,
| namely, either the employment of a
| very large number of meat inspectors
at great expense to the state, or the
concentration of the business of
| slaughtering.
Next to the general Indifference of
the public, the reason why meat in
spection has not been more generally
adopted is that of the large number
and widely scattered slaughtering
houses, therefore it would seem as if
this objection might be met most sue
cessfully by the plan of concentra-
ton"
Recommends County Slaughter Houses
DR.. Crumbine then comes to the con-
clUsion that the proper solution for the
problem is the establishment of a pub
lie slaughter house, or abattoir, in
each county, to be conducted under the
management of the state board OF
health, where all cattle. hogsk end
other animals for slaughter must be
handled. He urges that by thus com
bining into one public slaughter houses
ii will be possible for the saving in
by-products to more than pay the ad-
ditional expense. The by-products
which the big packers are able to save
| he says are generally wasted by the
country slaughter house. DIR. Crumbine
SAYS:
Not only will the concentration plar
be commercially advantageous, but
many of the local centers of infection
for the spread of disease among mer
all of the small. poorly built and badly
managed slaughter houses. 1t will give
the small butcher the advantages en-.
joyed by the large packing houses, anC
enable them to produce a product a.
| wholesome and as cheaply as theil
city brethren. Instead of increasing the
| cost the tendency of Capitalization i:
to reduce it, and to enable the producer
to surround himself with sanitary
| conditions which are above criticism
The expense of such inspection should
be provided for by system of fees, {
certain sum charged for the use o.
| a graduated fee scale for the inspec
ton of animals.
| 1T is further suggested that the po
sition of county veterinarian be estab
| ushed who shall be the local meat in.
-spector, and whose duty it shall be tC
| make a thorough post mostem inspec
| tion of all slaughtered animals withir
his jurisdiction. His salary should be
. provided for by fees for inspection, vi
| to a certain stated sum, and all ovel
and above the amount, turned into the
! county treasury. or if the fees collect.
ed do not provide a certain stated sum
that the balance of his salary be PAID
: out-of the county treasury. Where there
county, special days could be arranged
for the slaughtering in each of the
various houses within his Jurisdiction
1.-The law should definitely define the
! requirements for the construction anC
I. operation of a sanitary abattoir, ant
; the administrative detail of the same
should be under the state board o.
health