MUNICIPAL MEAT INSPECTION. 
39 
ordinances in accordance with what is known as the State meat 
inspection law of 1907, and are co-operating with the State Live¬ 
stock Sanitary Board. We are of the opinion that in order to 
render the best possible service in protecting the public against 
diseased and unwholesome meats the various local municipal meat 
inspection services should co-operate with and be an auxiliary to 
the State service, just as the State is to the Federal service. 
Working, then, with this end in view, the question arises, How 
are we going to proceed so that the system will be uniform and 
all localities of the State adequately protected? In our judg¬ 
ment, the only practical solution is for the cities and towns to 
provide local inspection with municipal slaughter houses. This 
is not by any means a new scheme, but, on the other hand, it has 
been tried out, not only in this country, but in various countries 
of the Old World, and with great success, not only from a finan¬ 
cial point of view, but other ways. 
Unfortunately, the butchers, in some localities at least, have 
been unfairly dealt with by the local officials adopting ordinances 
and regulations which forbid the erection and operation of a 
slaughter house within the borough or city limits. On account 
of this, the only thing for the butcher to do is to go outside, away 
from the city water and sewer connection, both of which are very 
necessary, and build his slaughter house. In such cases he usually 
selects a site some backwoods, perhaps near a spring, where he 
can get enough water to wash the carcass, but seldom sufficient to 
properly cleanse the slaughter room. Again, he has to contend 
with the question of proper drainage and disposal of his refuse 
and offal. Operating under such conditions, there is always a 
temptation to keep hogs to eat the offal and refuse, which is not 
only unsanitary, but is expensive in a great many cases, on ac¬ 
count of the hogs developing such diseases as cholera, tubercu¬ 
losis, etc. It is not uncommon to find in offal-fed hogs echino¬ 
coccus cysts in the liver, to say nothing of other serious condi¬ 
tions traceable to this filthy practice. Experience has shown that 
if clean, wholesome meats and meat products are to be produced 
and placed upon the market, it is absolutely necessary for the 
