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"Inspection in the Country of origin.
"It is doubtful whether any system of inspection, however rigid, can in practice
"be regarded as satisfactory in the case of meat prepared for export in the form of
"scrap meat. Meat in this form is rightly held in considerable suspicion by health
"authorities. In the experience of this country it has been found specially
"convenient to traders wishing to make profitable use of bad or doubtful meat.
"Certain foreign meat laws take account of this objection to scrap meat of all kinds.
"In the German Empire the importation of the kind of scrap meat here referred to
'is interdicted. In the case of the boxed boneless chucks, trimmings, &c., now
"chiefly in question, it has to be remembered that the meat may be of inferior
"quality to begin with (canners). Moreover, preparation of scrap meat must
"involve a considerable amount of handling ; scraps may be collected from dirty
"floors or thrown into unclean receptacles, and are liable to be dirtied or
''contaminated in other ways.
"United States Inspection.—In a memorandum addressed to the Board early in
"1906, I drew attention to the law and regulations in the United States as to the
"inspection of establishments where animals are slaughtered and meat is prepared
"for export. Save for certain questions regarding tuberculosis, referred to below,
"the instructions of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry to its inspectors
"at these establishments, in regard to their judgment and condemnation of animals
''affected by disease, appeared to constitute a code which could be regarded as
"generally satisfactory from the health point of view. I pointed out, however, that
"it was quite another question how these regulations worked in practice, and
"referred to accounts of the rapidity with which carcases are dealt with in the
"large packing houses of Chicago and elsewhere, and to the arrangements for
"inspection made there.
"Since that date various documents and reports have come to hand in connection
"with the agitation which has led to the United States Meat Inspection Act of 1906.
"From these it is evident that in the past the staff" of inspectors at the packing
"houses must often have been wholly inadequate to secure a thorough inspection of
"carcases for disease on the lines of the official instructions.
"Until this year, at any rate, the official labels have had no significance as
"regards preparation, cleanliness, chemical treatment, and the like, of meat
"imported in the form of scraps.
"But although, henceforth, the label 'U.S. Inspected' will no doubt mean more
"than in the past, it would be rash at this stage to place too great reliance upon its
"significance when attached to boxes containing such a commodity as scrap meat
"prepared for export."
Dr. Buchanan further points out that the standard with regard to
tuberculosis is:—
"not that which is in force in this country, and that therefore; the home trader has a
"legitimate grievance if scraps of pork of tuberculous animals are allowed to come
"into the market, for no other reason than that the condition of the animals from
"which they are derived cannot be ascertained by inspectors in this country.
"Summarising the objections to imported boneless scrap meat,
"1. It is meat in an objectionable form. No inspection can suffice to detect
disease.