New Ulm review., 1913-12-17
Board Of Health
Discovers Snag
Municipal Slaughter House
Cannot Be Legally
Established.
New Ordinance Being Draft.
ed To Provide for
Meat Inspection.

Meat Inspection.
Keen disappointment was handed t
the Health Board at the specis
meeting of the City Council called t
/ consider the proposition of muni
cipal sbbatoif for New Ulm. 1
appears that legally no city in Mime
sosa has the right TO establish such I
municipal plant. There 10 nothing Il
Z to State Laws nor tho City Chartel
I ao1llow this 10 be done. Electric
llkhs plants and water facilities ar
provided for but when the laws wer'
4 made II was too early in the day o
reform 70 provide for anything lik'
nsat projection. However, the pro
nossFs Of betser food supplies are no
dlsnaysd and It 10 expected that ws,
ont of the difficulty will b found yet
Ths meeting Friday evening va
aissods1 by the Health Board, tb,
City Council and City Attorney. DR.
8si1sst q Health Oncer presented 81
~ data he hss been 20 industriously
ssthsring for the past seversl weeks
The lssters from Grand Forks, st.
Cloud and Moorhesd we're read and
figures given TO show that municipal
slaughter house conld b. made self.
sustsinipg 20 that the city would not
b called upon TO support it after its
establishment. In presenting these
reports DR.. Seifert gave figures from
Government statistics showing that Of
oil the meat which 10 slaughtered
under Federal Inspection two per cent
4 10 diseased and called attention 70 the
-atacs sthA& ,ounersoi animals which thsy
Knew TO be diseased would not be
likely to sell them where they would
como under Federal inspection but
would market them locally where the
conditions would not be learned, thus
in all probability making the 2%
figure far too low for the actual con-
ditiOns as they exist. He showed how
tho medical profession has determined
20 its satisfaction that diseases are
communicable from meat to the users
thereof and urged that conditions
existing in New Ulm and vicinity
demand local inspection. DR.. Reineke
read the report of Asst. Secretary
Pierson of the State Board of Health
and urged that something be done by
the city to remedy conditions. Herman
Hold of the Local Health Board also
emph asized the need of change here
v ith regard to allowing any and sll
animals to be slaughtered for home
co assumption without any inspection
to determine their fitness for use.
Following the arguments by the
he alth Board members the City Coun-
Gil lors discussed the matter, question
ing and receiving information
gathered on the subject. They seemed
70 vorably impressed with the plans
put forward by the Board for the
est ablishment of city abbatoir but
ut this point City Attorney Somsen
rel uctantly Informed the assembly
that legally the city could not
es tablish q municipal slaughter house.
He expl aimed the lack of provision in
the State Laws and also In the city
ch arter for any such institution altho
% unicipal plants of other varieties are
3 peci6cally provided for. When
au estioped as to what could be done
abo ut it if the City should proceed to
,st ablish such an institution as q
nu unicipal slaughter house, Mr..
Som sen said that any one with 3
.rud ge against the City could get out
IN Injunction restraining the opera
ions of the plant. He stated that the
,ply way any such plant could be
Agally established would be by an
'ct of the State Legislature and that q
;ity Ordinance would not cover the
ase at all.
The abbatoirs located at St. Cloud !
md Moorhead are not municipal
la lighter houses altho they are v
ommon abbatoirs, used by all the v
'utc hers in common. They really q
re private institutions. When it e
eemed that there was no immediate 1
'ay out of the difficulty, the Board g
nd Council then turned to con- i
Iteration of the problem of Meat a
Inspection. DR.. Reineke urged that Q
he local dealers be given permits to g
perate slaughter houses her0 for s
ong term OF years 80 that they fright Il
EEL justified in erecting buildings &