Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-07

/ inspector in charge of the L. S. Bureau
! OF Animal Industry, on the insanitary
| conditions found in the slaughter
| houses of Maine, and the needs of
| public abattoirs under inspection. as
| follows:
The number of saughtering estab-
! lishments in Maine is something over
300. located in every county IN the
| State Many of the establishments
are in a very insanitary and some in
n decidedly filthy condition. no effort.
apparently, being made to keep them
clean. These conditions are more like
ly to be found in the country slaught-
er house located away from dwelling
houses.
In many instances hogs are kept in
The very room where animals are
slaughtered and the meats allowed to
| hang. Here the offal is fed to hogs
and the odors and filth, in some cases,
can be better imagined than described
It is not an uncommon practice to
keep hogs under slaughter houses and
allow the blood and offal to go down
to them. AS a rule, such places are
decidedly insaEitarY on account of the
odors which pernleate the establish
Dueill anu COntdiiillldte tiit Ilitettos
Fresh meats are found to be very sus-
eeptible to odors of this character.
In some cases where Strengthening is
conducted ON the farm, perhaps in the
end Of the tie-up, the odors from de-
composing urine have been such as to
render the establishment decidedly in
sanitary. Hens in some cases. have
been permitted free access to the
slaughtering rooms, and their drop
pings have been stored in places where
meats are kept. Many of the estab-
lishments in the country towns could
hardly be termed slaughter houses. as
the Strengthening is often conducted in
the barn or stable floor. The sanitary
conditions, rs a rule, in such places
are not bad. but in the case | have
cited above simply show the necessity
of some laws or regulations governing
the conduct of the slaughter houses
throughout the State.
Now that the federal meat inspec-
ton law is being rigidly enforced
throughout the country and the gem
eral public is free from danger of dis
ease through the sale of unwholesome
meats and meat products, it might be
we'll 10 inquire what steps are being
taken by the State of Maine to help
the federal authorities in producing
clean. sound and healthful meats for
human food. Are the State authorities
of Maine. in particular, putting forth
any effort TO cooperate with the ma
tional government in order to bring
every slaughterer under compulsion 10
place nothing but sound and health
4. IL g Ill,
and city? Is every meat buyer in
Maine certain that every piece of meat
bought by him is free from all dis
eases and has been prepared in a clean
and sanitary manner? Unless your
piece of meat or package of meat
food product bears the stamps of fed
eral inspection you have no assurance
that you are feeding your family clean
and healthy food for certain unscru-
Duious butchers and dealers in this;
State are still placing on the markets
meats which have been prepared i'll
a filthy and unsanitary manner. There
is also no doubt that diseased animals
are slaughtered and sold as human
food and dead animals have been
dressed and put on the market.
There is no gainsaying the fact that
Congress performed a noble duty in
enactng the meat inspection law. The
federal government is striving to its
utmost to make a general and uniform
inspection and follow the law as enact
ell by Congress. That il is handicap
ped by lack of State cooperation is
also an indisputable fact. AS far as
the federal authorities can proceed
within their rights, the public in gen.
erai can he certain of protection, But
under the present law if meats
slaughtered within, the State are to be
consumed therein it is optional with
the slaughterer whether he has lnspcc-
ton or not, and it is certain that the
butcher who is placing diseased meats
upon the markets of the State will NOT
reform unless he be compelled to. So
far the State has done nothing to CO.
operate with the federal government
in compelling INSCRIPTIONS dealers
and slaughters to place nothing but
sound and healthful meats before the
public 1t is wrong for the State au-
thorities to allow the public health to
be jeopardized through diseased meats
simply because such product Is not TO
enter into Interstate traffic. The
Legislature should at once enact
stringent laws covering the inspection
of all animals slaughtered within the
State for home consumption.
1t is evident that the proper way TO
have such laws effected is by estab-
fishing public abattoirs throughout the
state where all animals should be
brought to slaughter, and prepared
into meats under the strict supervision
of expert inspectors. so that absolute
protection against diseased food stun
be extended TO the people of the state.
Until legislators awaken to that 1aet,
the only way to guard against the evil
is to see that all meats or meat pro-
duets bear positive proof of Inspection
by federal authorities. The blue label
of the government on a piece of meat
or the federal government is the as
surance of sound and healthy meats
and these things are very essential TO
volr health and that of YOUR family
and can be only determined by making
snre thai your meats bear the appro-
val of the L. : government.
There IS absolute necessity that laws
be enacted against grasping corpora
tions and individuals who menace the