112 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



The following reports were received from the Director of each 

 Division: 



MEAT HYGIENE 



Sir: I have the honor to transmit the report of the Meat Hygiene 

 Service. This Division was reorganized early in the year. The State 

 was redistricted and each agent given a definite territory which 

 was outlined by counties, and the agent largely confined his activities 

 to the district assigned him. In a few instances it was found ad- 

 visable to have one agent go into another district for a time to assist 

 in maintaining continuous inspection in the larger centers of 

 slaughter. Continuous inspection was maintained usually for a 

 week at a time at the following places: Erie, Butler. Punxsutawney, 

 Johnstown, Altoona, Williamsport, and York. Such inspection 

 brought good results. It proved to be popular with the public and 

 should hereafter be more extensively carried on throughout the 

 State. 



A placard, which reads as follows, was mailed to each butcher 

 in the State: 



Please Post in Conspicuous Place 



NOTICE ! 



The Handling of Meats and Meat Products by prospective 



purchasers is not permitted under the Rules and 



Regulations of the Meat Hygiene Service. 



State Livestock Sanitary Board 



These notices were well received for the reason that they called 

 the attention of the public to the filthy practice of handling meats 

 before making a purchase. A number of butchers wrote for addi- 

 tional notices so that they could post them in their market wagons 

 also. 



At Williamsport the butchers were the first in the State to provide 

 screens which would prevent prospective purchasers from handling 

 meats. They are also a protection against flies and other objectional 

 insects. The agent in that district, who was responsible for bringing 

 about this improvement, and the butchers who willingly complied 

 with the request are most highly commended. It is to be hoped 

 that the butchers in many other localities will soon provide similar 

 facilities for safeguarding the public's meat supply from contamina- 

 tion. The public can do much in the way of assisting the Board 

 in getting butchers to provide satisfactory screens. Meats exposed 

 for sale in front of shops or in market houses in such a manner that 

 they can be handled by the public, and contaminated by flies, can- 

 not be regarded as clean and wholesome for human consumption. 

 It is recommended that municipal, also market house officials, give 

 this matter the careful consideration it deserves, especially at places 

 where new market houses are likely to be provided or old ones re- 

 modeled. 



The time has come when municipal owned or controlled slaughter 

 houses must be regarded as the most sanitary as well as the most 



