Evening star., 1911-06-01
TAGS ON THE HOG
Hard to Label His 48 Parts,
Pork Packer Says.
COLD STORAGE MEN HEARD
Declare Hepburn Bill Will Work
Hardship on the Trade.
THREE STAGES OF ssFREEZING"
Proposed Law Vague az to When
"cold Storage" Period
Actually Begins.
THREE STAGES OF "FREEzNG"

Forty-eight different parts are taken
from each hog killed at the big pack
ing houses, and almost insurmountable
dimculttes will be met in dating each
part OF each hog to show when 1t was
killed and how long II was kept in cold
storage.
Inis was one Of the arguments made
by Thomas d. Foster Of John Morrell &
Co., pork and beef packers Of Iowa, be-
fore the Senate committee on manufac-
lures this morning against the passage
OF the Hepburn cold storage bill in its
present form. Mr. Foster filed with the
committee q list Of the forty -eight parts,
In support of his assertion.
In three ways. Mr.. Foster maintained
the bill will work a great hardship an
the beef and pork packers. First. n
lacks a proper definition OF what ,s
meant by cold storage; second. almost In.
surmountahle difficulties will ha mat IN
Following the provisions of the bill for
dating the various parts. and third this
llme limits provided are not satisfantorv
FOR peer and the products thereof the
DlIl limits the period of cold storage Id
seven months: for pork and it's products
'here Is limit OF four months.
Three Phases Of Cold Storage.
Mr.. Foster told the committee that,
unoer the definition of the bill, he was
.. loss to know when cold storage be.
gins and how 1t will affect the different
par0 OF the animals which are treated
IN dinerent ways for the market.
In the meat industry, he said thara ara
three phases Of cold storage. First. there
IS the curing stage, when the meats are
1ept u temperature OF from go to "a
degrees. 1t Is misnomer to call that
coia storage. he said. bcause for a part
ond stage Is when the meat Is kent at :
temperature Of from 10 to 81 degrees. used
TOT preserving the meat after 1t has been
Iuly cured until 1t is put on the market
10 ~ pe SOLO TO the consumer. Another
pnase IS, In the language of the trade.
snarp freezing" when the meat ia kept
at from 10 degrees below zero to TX de-
grees above. That is the Temperature
INTO which fresh meat Is put, the low
temperature being used SO that the freez-
ing VIII be done as soon as possible in
order to maintain the fresh appearances.
When the witness was urging the dim.
culties OF labelling the many parts. Sena.
TOT Hepburn INTERRUPTED to say that sew
eral OF the big packers had given him
statements showing that they were lab1i.
cipher. ~eie ~
rs It more expensive to label the meats
| PA0M GAu8ASu OF u&urcS than in
cipher?' he asked the witness.
NO. sir" admitted Mr.. Foster.
May Be Kept Many Months.
Mr.. Foster was asked how long beef
and pork could be kept in storage and
still be palatable. He said that fresh
beef could be kept in storage 8 or q
months, fresh pork six months and cured
pork products nine months.
Kenneth Fowler. wholesale fish dea,e,
IN the tulton market in New York city
appeared before the committee in behaIi
OF many salt water fish producers and
dealers and OF storage warehouse nro-
pTietors who keep fish. He told the CON.
mittee that the time limit for the cold
storage OF fish, as fixed in the hill
three nonths-would be destructive ~
the industry. The fish are producsd -
such volumes at certain portions Of the
year. he Said, that they are sold he,ou
cost, and the profit to the dealers comes
IN the storage Of some Of the overprod,,c.
ton until the supply diminishes and
prices go up. ''o
The committee decided to mako b..,.
IA completing the hearings on the hiii
Ihe next hearing will be given neri
Inursday morning, and 1t is prohs HE
ing Friday and Saturday.