Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-03-10

such cattle, after appraisal, are in many
cases shipped to the plant Of the Burling-
ton Rendering company and there slaugh-
tered. II found badly infected, the car
cases are made into fertilizer or poultry
food, or otherwise disposed Of in ways
that convey no menace to health. But il
found net badly infected, the carcasses
are 'trimmed" of such evidences OF the
disease as appear upon examination, the
refuse used in the ways above described,
and the remaining "sound" portions sold
and marketed as good heet
All the animals slaughtered at the reu-
dering plant are supposed to, and proba-
bly, do, pass under the examination and
inspection OF a competent United States
official. But the system is necessarily
imperfect, even il based on a correct the
DRY, which may itself be open to question.
The knife does not aud cannot lay bare
all the surface OF the carcass, and physi-
cal inspection OF the meat is not conclu-
sive in the minds OF many people, who
are at present innocent buyers OF this
meat.
The concrete principle upon which the
state proceeds in spending very large
sums Of money for the determination OF
this disease is that 1t is dangerous to pub
lie health. The interest OF single class,
like the farmers, in cleaning up their
herds, would not warrant or justify tax
ing the people as a whole to foot the ex-
pense. II bovine tuberculosis is in itself
harmless to human beings, then owners
of infected cattle should be left to deal
with it as a mere feature Of their bust
ness. But il the general public is con-
cerned, by reason of its menace to those
who eat the flesh or products OF cattle,
then the work of determination should be
thorough, not temporizing.
When cattle respond to the test, are
condemned and paid for by the state and
found to be infected, in ever SO slight
degree, the carcasses, in our opinion,
should in every case be placed beyond the
possibility of use for food purposes. 1t
is not sufficient to have the meat
"trimmed" - from animals once con-
demned as unfit to live longer-and sold
as good beef, with government approval
II is an imposition on the buying public,
which would have nothing to do with
such meat II it knew its history.
We are doing our utmost, at heavy ex-
pense, to insure pure food, and the state
itself should not, for the sake of profits,
meagre or large, follow such a shady and
questionable method. 1t is not enough
to reply that the meat passed by inspec-
ton is probably less open to objection
than much or even most Of that slaugh-
tered by butchers and sold in the open
market. Even if true this would not
alter the case. The state starts on a cru
SADIE for pure beef and cattle products.
With one hand it threatens the farmer
and requires him to test his herd 1t
pays him only partial value for his cattle
on the ground that they are diseased.
But it extends its other hand backward,
palm upward, in the direction OF the Rem
dering company and says, "Here; much
Of this is good meat. Look it over; trim
it to suit you: sell it for prime beef, and
pay the state what it is worth on that
basis" And you and pay taxes for this
method OF DISCRIMINATING the disease
And you and buy and cal the meat
II nothing else is done, the state should
require all such meat, when offered for
sale, to be plainly marked as from ami
mails condemned and paid for as diseased.
Mere honesty to the buying public de-
mands that.
Where do you stand, Messrs. Mead and
Fleetwood, on this important matter?