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Show IPRACTiCES OF THE PACKERS Disease and Death Lurk in the Meat Product Sent Out From Chicago. President Roosevelt Sends a Message to Congress Urging the Passage of the Beverldge Amendment to the Agricultural Appropriation Bill. Washington. President Roosovolt on Monilny transmitted to congress tlio report of MeBsrs. Reynolds nnd Nolll on existing conditions In the Chicago Chi-cago packing houses. -Accompanying tho report was a message urging the passago of tho Rcvcrldgo amendment I to tho agricultural appropriation bill making Inspection of meat products compulsory nt tho cost of tho packers. The message follows: "The Senate and Houso of Repro-ncntatlvca: Repro-ncntatlvca: 1 transmit herewith tho report of Mr. James Dronson Reynolds Rey-nolds and Commissioner Chnrlcs 1'. Nolll, tho special committee whom I appointed to Investigate Into tho conditions con-ditions In tho stockyards of Chicago, nnd report tlioroon to mo. This report re-port Is of it preliminary nature I Bub-inlt. Bub-inlt. It to you now hecnusu It shows tho urgent need or Immedlato notion by tho congress In tho direction of providing pro-viding a drastic and thoroughgoing Inspection In-spection by tho federal government or ill stockyards nnd packing bouses and of their products, ro fnr ns tho latter enter Into Interstate or foreign commerce. Tho conditions shown by even this short Inspection to exist In tho Chlcngo Htockyards aro rovoltlng. Jt Is Imperatively necessary, In tho In- Iiercst or society and decency, that they should bo radically changed. Under Un-der tho existing Inw It Is wholly Impossible Im-possible to sccuro sntlsfnctory results. re-sults. "When my attention was first directed direct-ed to this mnttcr an Investigation wns made under tho bureau of nnlmal Industry In-dustry of tho department of agriculture. agricul-ture. When tho preliminary statements state-ments of this Investigation were brought to my nttcntlon they showed such defects In the law and such wholly whol-ly unexpected conditions thnt I deemed It best to havo a further Immediate Im-mediate Investigation by men not connected con-nected with tho bureau, and accordingly according-ly appointed Messrs. Jleynolds nnd Nolll. It was Imposslblo under the existing law thnt satisfactory work should bo done by tho bureau of an. lmnl Industry. I nm now, howover, examining tho way In which tho work actually was done "Dcforo I hnd received tho report of Messrs. Reynolds and Nclll I had directed thnt Inbols placed upon nny packngo of meat food products should stato only that tho enrenss of tho nnlmal nn-lmal from which tho mcnt was taken hnd been Inspected nt tho tlmo of slaughter. If Inspection of meat food products at all stages of preparation Is not secured by tho passngo of legislation legis-lation recommended, I shall feel compelled com-pelled to order thnt Inspection labels nnd certificates on ennned products shall not bo used hcrenftor. "Tho report shows that tho stockyards stock-yards nnd packing houses nro not kept even reasonably clean, and thnt the method of handling and proparlnfi food products Is uncleanly nnrt dangerous dan-gerous to health. Under existing law tho national government nns no power to enforce Inspection of tho mnny forms of prepared meat food products that aro dally going from tho packing houses Into interstate commerce. Owing Ow-ing to an Inadequate appropriation tho department of agriculture Is not even able to place Inspectors In nil establishments desiring thnt. The present law prohibits tho shipment of uninspected mcnt to foreign countries, coun-tries, but there Is no provision forbidding forbid-ding tho shipment or uninspected meats In Intcrstnto commerce, nnd thus th' nvoniios or Intcrstnto commerce com-merce nre left open to traffic In dls-eased dls-eased or spoiled meats, If, ns has been nllegcd on seemingly good authority, au-thority, further evils oxlst, such as tho Improper use of chomlcnls and dyes, tho government lacks power to remedy rem-edy them. A law Is needed which will onnblo the Inspectors of tho general government to Inspect and supcrvlso from tho hoof to tho can the preparation prepara-tion or mcnt food products. Tho evil seems to bo much less In tho sale of dressed carcasses than In tho sale of canned nnd other prepared products; and very much less ns rcgnrds products pro-ducts sent nbrond than ns regards thoso used at homo. "In my Judgment, tho expenses of tho Inspection should be paid by a feo levied on each animal slaughtered. If this Is not done, tho wholo purpose of tho law can nt nny tlmo bo derentcd through an Insufficient appropriation nnd whenever thero wns no particular Interest In tho subject It would not bo only ensy, hut natural, thim to mako tho appropriation Insufficient. U It wero not for this cotiBlderntlon I should Invor tho government paying for tho Inspection. "Tho nlnrm expressed In certain quarters concerning this fenturo should bo allayed by a realization of tho fact that In no enso tinder such n law will tho cost or Inspection exceed 8 cents per bond. "I call special nttontlon to tho fact that this report Is preliminary, nnd thnt tho Investigation Is still unfinished. unfin-ished. It Is not yet posslblo to report on tho nllegcd abuses In tho ubo of deleterious choinlcnl compounds In connection with entitling nnd preserving preserv-ing mcnt products, nor on tho alleged doctoring In this fashion or tnlntcd moat nnd of products returned to tho pnekors as having grown unsalable or unusnblc from ngo or from other reasons. rea-sons. Grnvo ollegatloiiB aro mado In reference to abuses or this nature. "Let mo repent thnt under tho present pres-ent law thero practically Is no method or stopping theso abuses, ir they Rhould bo discovered to exist. Legislation Legisla-tion Is needed In order to prevent tho possibility or nil nbuscs In the future. If no legislation Ib passed, then tho excellent results accomplished by tho work of tills speclnl committee will endure en-dure only so long cs tho memory or tho committee's work Is rresh, and re-crudesccnco re-crudesccnco of tho nbuscs Is absolutely absolute-ly certain. "I ugro tho Immedlato enactment Into law of provisions which will en-nblo en-nblo tho department or agriculturo adequately to Inspect tho meat nnd meat rood products entering Into In-toratnto In-toratnto commerce, nnd to supcrvlso the methods or preparing tho same, nnd to prescrlbo tho snnltnry conditions condi-tions under which tho work shall bo perforated, I thcroforo commend to your rnvorablo consideration nnd urgo tho enactment or substantially tho provisions known ns sonnto amendment amend-ment No. 29 to tho net mnklng appropriations appro-priations for tho department of agriculturo agri-culturo for tho llscal year ending Juno 30, 1007, ns passed by. the senate, this enactment being commonly known as tho Doverldgo amendment. "THKODOUE ROOSEVELT. "Tho Whlto Houso, Juno 4, 100C." |