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The work so far has been very largely on the breakage of eggs in 

 transit. The general investigation has been undertaken by the depart- 

 ment, through the Food Research Laboratory of the Bureau of Chem- 

 istry, co-operatively with this committee and the industries which it 

 represents. 



The investigation of such a question as the breakage of eggs in transit 

 would be an impossibility without co-operative work. No amount of 

 detective ability would compensate for the free opening of records and 

 frank statements of facts that are ours for the asking. Of necessity we 

 receive many confidences that never go beyond the laboratory staff or 

 the laboratory files. Our success depends on respecting such confidences. 

 It is our custom to take the results of our work back to the shippers or 

 the railroads individually, if they are directly applicable to individuals, 

 just as promptly as they become facts. Later they are available to all 

 parties in a pubhcation which is strictly impersonal. 



Whatever activities this committee may undertake, it will always 

 be of great value as a clearing house for questions and a promoter of a 

 better understanding between people who are gradually learning that, 

 when all is said and done, the greatest good is mutual good, the surest 

 progress is mutual progress. 



We realize that anything which undertakes to bring about railroad 

 co-operation is skating on pretty thin ice. Perhaps, however, the ice is 

 fixed for Uncle Sam because we have no axes to grind and therefore can 

 hardly be accused as a party to that. This question must be worked 

 out along practical lines, as Mr. Miller has ably laid out in his statement 

 concerning market terminals. 



Delegate : How long does meat keep in cold storage? 



Dr. Pennington: We do know it will keep at least, a year. How 

 much longer than that we don't know. 



Mrs. Smith:. A gentleman told Dr. Pennington he always froze his 

 turkeys and kept them at a temperature of three degrees below zero. 

 Dr. Pennington said, "Take them out and keep them at a temperature 

 of sixteen above." I thought that was a good point, because the Belle vue- 

 Stratford and other such well-known hotels are glad to have such informa- 

 tion from such good authority. 



Delegate: Don't get Dr. Pennington started on the cold-storage 

 question. She is going to talk on that subject later. 



Dr. Pennington: I fully intended at the time the carload lot dis- 

 cussion was on, to say something, but I forgot it. Not on the subject of 

 rates, but on another question quite as important. It is of just as much 

 importance to the nation to get products from the farmer to the consumed 

 in good order — every single egg, every head of cabbage or whatever it may 



