EDITORIAL. 
7U 
“ With this declaration seems to be connected the adjournment of the 
committee on the Imperial Meat-inspection Bill, which should have 
opened its sessions on Nov. 30. It is natural that the great American 
export firms of Armour, Swift, etc., who .command a capital of 
many millions, are greatly interested in a draft of this Bill favorable 
to their commercial interests. In this sense Dr. Stiles, the now recalled 
scientific attache ot the American Negation, has worked here with much 
skill. By his explanations and demonstrations he has succeeded in 
giving the interested authorities a certain confidence in the American 
meat-inspection, which could only be strengthened by the mutual work 
of such a commission. But it is evident that great care should be 
exercised in the selection of our experts, as the results of their delibera¬ 
tions will doubtless be weighty in framing the new bill. The American 
meat ranks so differently in regard to quality and price that its unquali¬ 
fied admission would be of the severest consequences to our consumers, 
butchers, and agriculturists. The production, dressing and packing of 
the best (vollwerthig) American meat is so faultless that to its admis¬ 
sion exists not the slightest hesitation, but absolutely objectionable is 
the import of poor (minderwerthig) meats. In whatever form the latter 
may come to us they cannot benefit the consumer and must endanger 
the prosperity of our breeders, our agriculture in general and our meat- 
industry in particular, as is quite well demonstrated by the historic de¬ 
velopment of the meat-supply of England. The Spanisli-American war 
also has shown the necessity of caution towards a careless use of 
American meats, and the canned goods, rejected by the home people, 
have now been dished up to the English troops in the Transvaal with 
new labels. If veterinary experts are selected who are thoroughly 
familiar with the questions involved in the American meat import, a 
form will easily be found for the Bill whereby the admission of the good 
(vollwerthig) American meat is encouraged and our meat-industry 
given a healthy competition without compelling it to take refuge to the 
production of meats of lower value to stem the tide of the inflowing in¬ 
ferior products and which could not guarantee to the consumer that full 
sanitary protection aimed at by the new Inspection-Bill.” 
The above article marks a change of sentiment on the part 
of the German authorities, as the journal quoted is influential 
in government circles and reflects their altered opinion. For 
several years past this veterinary weekly has voiced opposition 
to the admission of American food products on the ground, of 
insufficient inspection. It is, therefore, pleasant to note the 
successful mission of the representatives of the Bureau of Ani¬ 
mal Industry, and it is to be hoped that the position thus 
gained by our government may be followed up by a commis¬ 
sion of experts able to demonstrate that the principles of meat 
inspection of both the United States and Germany are analo¬ 
gous, while the difference in our methods of application are the 
