Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14

| The picture of the fruit and vege-
| table situation would be incomplete
without including the busy govern
ment inspector down at the railroad
| yards along the Potomac, who may
be seen any time crawling into cars
overhauling sacks of produce; taking,
testing and Weighing samples in ex-
amining the condition OF the load
The work has the dual purpose of
assuring the people of Washington
products of good quality and in issu-
| ing official statements of the condi-
ton or grade of the products to the
numerous persons Immediately inter
ested in the shipments.
| The local buyer or commission
! dealer, for example, may wish 10
| know the final standing of the car
| lot in order to explain to the shipper
why the contents are not worth the
full market price. The car may be
inspected for the shipper to inform
him of the condition in which his
consignment reached the market. In
| spection may be made as the basis for
a damage claim against the railroad
or the inspection may be requested by
the carrier to protect it from paying
an unjust claim. These inspections
total 40 to so cars a month. Pota-
toes. apples. peaches, cantaloupes and
melons make up about IS per cent of
the inspection work.
! !; X X
JXTASHINGToNIAN and their guests
w who visit the National Capital are
heavy meat eaters, consuming approx
! inately 100000 pounds of meat a
month. recent survey during Septem-
Der. October and November shows. OF
this vast quantity about 1900, 900 pounds
are pork, 100000 pounds are beef. $780,
900 pounds are lamb and mutton and
100000 pounds are veal
Figures are not available to determine
consumption in other months of the
year, but the probabilities are that con.
sumption is smaller during hot weather
| During the period covered by the sur.
vey it was estimated that each person
consumed monthly an average Of Is
| pounds of meat, consisting of 9.S pounds
| of pork, SO pounds of beef, IA pound.
| of lamb and mutton and IA pounds Of
veal. This consumption is larger thar
| in most other sections of the country
the reason for 1t being attributed to tn,
large number Of visitors constantly II
the nations capital and to the neces
sarily large hotel and restaurant trade
Pork constitutes 51.2 per cent OF thu
total meat supply consumed, while bee
comprises 35.7 per cent, lamb and NUT
ton IL per cent and veal per cent
The bulk Of the supply is furnished BY
Chicago and Baltimore packers and By
! local slaughterers who obtain their sup
ply largely from surrounding districts
Chicago packers contribute 36.9 per cen
of the total supply, the live stool
slaughtered by these interests original
ing largely in the corn belt" region o.
the middle west and in the western
range country.
Local slaughterers. of whom there
are six or seven In number, furnish
32s per cent and Baltimore packer.
contribute approximately Is per cent o.
the total during the early autumn
months. Various other sources of sup
ply also exist in the District, such a.
meat. brokers and hotel supply houses
which are large wholesale distributor
Of meat. .-. -...
| r y X
In IGID inspection of the meat sup
N ply is maintained to assure thu
public good food. Fourteen food in
spectors, who also inspect meat. arr
constantly on duty throughout the cit!
wherever food distribution is made. Tive
men operate solely at Center Market