The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-07-28
! Commissioner and Inspectors
Here Making Preliminary Sur
vey and Will Return Soon
To Wage Fight
CONDITIONS IN BUTCHER
SHOPS UNSPEAkABLE
Tubs of Meat Found Infested
With Vermin-WhOle State
Will Be Investigated

A thorough-going, statewide cam
paign for better enforcement OF laws
regulating the traffic in foods, and
the conditions under which they are
offered for sale, is planned by state
Dairy and Food Commissioner James
4 Helme and hic corps OF inspectors.
II 10 proposed TO begin with the large
cities. for IL is the city, the commits
esoner says, which is the breeding
place of many harmful practices
which are copied In the smaller towns
Mr.. Helme and Inspectors ID. j. Far
rel, OF Battle Creek, and w. J. Mick
\ 81, OF Grand Rapids. were in Detroit.
Thursday and Friday. making a preli'
minary survey of conditions here,
n which they report as badly Ia need
OF Improvement.
Before leaving for his home In
Adrian, Friday evening, the commits
sioner pointed out that there have
I been more convictions of violators OF
the law obtained by his department
since March l than in its whole previ'
Gus history. apd declared his intention
OF keeping up the good record until
the manufacturers and dealers learn
10 respect the law.
The meat markets OF the city are in
especial need of regulation, according
to Inspector Nickel. who was the lead
er In recent campaign which cleaned
+ up those OF Grand Rapids.
One thing that tae butchers are
going to have TO do" he told The
B Times. Saturday. lis TO cut out the
use OF supplies in the preservation
OF meats They must not sell en-
balmed hamburger steak They might
Just as we'll get that into their heads
first as last, for the department will
not stand for il.
"The-use of sulphites in this way is
= most dangerous practice, and yet 1t
is continually present in 80 per cent
of the meat markets of Detroit.
"The dealer tells his customer that
the preparation is entirely harmless,
and gets away with il because in itself
what. he says of 1t Is true. The danger
h that Il covers up the decayed con-
dition Of the meat which may be pres
emit but*which you cannot then tell by
sight, taste or smell Properly pre-
pared hamburger keeps only four or
ave hosrs, but | have seen treated
stun kept end sold after IL days.
'In one place here in Detroit
found a tub of the meat. which the
woman keeping the shop assured me
was all fresh. dug down to the bot
tom of the tub and there were great
Jumps OF the stuff days and days old,
with the maggots crawling through it.
And that's the stuff she proposed 10
make into sausages the next day If
49, hon aIn ~ a
It.
~In another place found the har-
ness of delivery horses hung up by
the side of meat. and several barrels
OF refuse from the dressing OF chick
ems which had not been emptied in
weeks, standing right by the side or
the ice box in the rear. The shop had
no wrapping paper, so the butcher
had TO wrap up his sales in newspa-
pers which he picked up off the floor
or anywhere else they happened TO be
lying.
Another of the dangers Of sulphites
is that when hamburger Is made ard
kept In stock, the butcher rakes to
gether scraps from the floor and all
OF his poor and nesr-spoiled meat.
That cannot be done II 1t is properly
made as called for, with the customer
there to look on"
IN cleaning up conditions in Grand
Rapids Mr.. Nickel brought II prose
BUTTONS of various sorts and obtained
convictions in all cases. Now, he
saSs, one cannot buy ready made ham
burger anywhere In the city. The use
Of supplies is responsible for many
cases OF ptomaine poisoning, accord
ing to Mr.. Nickel.
1.-THE ptomaines are there but You
cannot detect them by any of the
Senses" he says. Look at the re-
cent case OF Jack Brummeler, uni
yerpity student of Ann Arbor who
ate a sandwich In one OF these street
wagons and In four hours was dead.
y There's not doubt but that the meat
Was doctored.
inspectors Farrell and Nickel will
return to Detroit, the week after
next. when the campaign here will
begin In earnest. Two inspectors.
y Collins and Rake, are working In the
city all the time, but the job is too
much for them alone. why" said
Rake, Saturday. when ! came on
3 the lob this spring | started working
only ON Hastings-st There were -
places to visit there. and | am not
done with them yet"
Mr.. Rake condemned conditions in
the market on Cadillac.sq., especially.
III you go along by there on Bates
q. any afternoon the stencil will al.
most drive you off the sidewalk" he
said. "And, inside. the flies and de
\ caying meat are something awful
While emphasis will be placed upon
tne meat markets in the campaign
!. thA ~oo dftions under which other food