Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-06-25

Dept. OF agriculture SHS'e' 49,
Several Slaughter Houses Lacking
in Clearly Methods
DR.. T. J. Kean, travelling veterinary
INSPECTOR for the Eastern District of
the United States, and representa-
tive Of the United States Department
of Agriculture, Bureau Of Animal In
dustry, Washington, has returned
home after two weeks Of joint in
spection Of slaughter houses in the
State Of Maine. being accompanied
on this trip by A. M. G. Soule, CHIEF
Division of Inspection, Maine De-
partment of Agriculture, L. S. Pen
nell, deputy State sealer Of weights
and measures, and for portions Of the
trip by State Inspectors c. o. Brown,
E. L. Palmer and M. r. Umberhind
The territory covered embraced the
towns of Auburn, lewiston, Minot,
Poland, Oxford, Turner, Buckfield,
Norway, Paris, Peru, Mexico, Rum
ford, Wilton, Pennington, Bridgton,
Harrison, Hiram, Brownfield and
Fryeburg.
Inspections were made in three
classes of establishments, those man
ufacturing and preparing products to
be shipped interstate, where a resi-
dent Federal Inspector is in charge;
another class where business was be-
ing done on a smaller scale and
where Federal exemption certificates
had been granted and another class,
more numerous than either of the
first two, being the small slaughter
houses located mostly in country
towns, where their products are con-
sumed locally, as, without inspection
or exemption, an inhibition is placed
on such products thus prepared. from
entering interstate shipments by the
United States Meat Inspection Act.
AS a result of similar inspections
previously performed and of recon-
mendationS made to owners OF such
establishments coming under class
three, considerable improvement, in
some instances, was noted. Even
some of the very small establish
ments, were found with cemented
floors, sheathed walls and an equip
ment that could be readily kept clean
and with proper arrangements for
refrigeration. But in numerous
places visited, the conditions found
were entirely unsatisfactory.
In some of the establishments in
spected. especially those where the
building employed for Strengthening
purposes was in very poor physical
condition, it was found that filth has
been allowed to accumulate, that re-
fuse from slaughtering operations,
covering a period of two or three
months, had not been disposed of,
being in close proximity to the cs-
Enlistment, and, in some cases, that
hogs were wallowing in filth, either
underneath or at the side of such
slaughter houses. 1t was also found
that accommodations were entirely
lacking for properly cooling car
casses after slaughtering. Many of
the places were without screens, and
with hogs near and the accumula-
ton of offal in evidence, flies were
accordingly numerous. In many of
the places were found crowded to-
gether all sorts of refuse, broken
farm machinery and a variety of ar
ticles not in any way used or neces-
sary to the business of Strengthening.
In no less than four places, it was
found that slaughtering to a consid-
cradle extent was being done in the
tie up of the barn used for cattle.
Such places were extremely filthy
and in no respect suitable either for
the preparation of food by slaughter
Ing animals or for housing cows,
the milk of which was to be used
for human consumption.
There is apparently tendency in
some of the smaller towns for the
owners of slaughter houses to re-
move such places as far from the
village as possible, and in almost
every instance, such establishments
were found to be filthy in the ex-
IRENE. Apparently, no attempt is
made to keep such places clean, the
proprietors evidently believing that
the people who patronize them and
purchase their product would never
care to visit their establishments
and see for themselves where the
food they are eating is prepared.
Section IL of Chapter SO of the
Revised Statutes provides that food