Civic improvement; Urban women; Women in public life
The municipal abattoir was built in Grand Forks, and, by dint of all
the pressure the Civic League could bring to bear, it was put in
working order after being carelessly constructed. After working for
years to get the abattoir and telling the Council what features were
necessary to make it efficient and sanitary, not one of the women
was put on the advisory committee, even, when it was being built. It
is still far from perfect and yet scarcely a week passes that the
food inspector does not receive inquiries for plans and advice from
towns all over the West, such is the interest in the smaller Western
cities in doing things for themselves. With all the bad management,
the abattoir has some months paid expenses, which is an excellent
showing for so new an institution.
The activity of Indiana women was a large factor in the establishment of
a state laboratory of hygiene under the Board of Health charged with the
examination of food and drugs and assistance in the enforcement of
health laws. The chief of the food research laboratory in Philadelphia
is a woman—Dr. Mary Pennington.
Missouri women pledged their efforts to a pure food crusade some time
ago, while the excellent laws in Texas reflect the interest of the women
of that state. In 1906 the women of Iowa drafted a pure food bill which
they presented to the legislature. In Ohio where fair legislation
existed, the women worked to have it enforced.
In Kansas State Food Commissioner Fricke appealed to the club women to
aid him in enforcing food regulations of that state by acting as
volunteer inspectors. Where they have not been asked by city and state
officials to act, women have often proceeded to act on their own
initiative. An official inspection and report on dairy products were
recently undertaken by Chicago Club women during the session of the
National Dairy Show. Women in Louisiana are active in the inspection of
bakeries, meat markets and dairies. It is largely due to the work of
women that fruit stands and markets are screened in New Orleans, a city
in utmost need of such care. This is true of many other cities.
Louisiana has a woman as state health inspector—Agnes Morris.
In Wheeling, West Virginia, the club women have been asking for a woman
food inspector. Tacoma, Washington, is one of those cities which already
have a woman serving in that capacity. Such a clean food supply is
reported from that city that other communities in the state are
imitating its example. The women of Seattle, Washington, transformed
some old plants into five large modern sanitary bakeries.
Mrs. Sarah Evans was in 1909 Inspector of Markets in Portland, Oregon,
and her publication of clean market requirements was the inspiration of
more than one organization of women for better civic conditions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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