The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-05-15
MANUFACTURING IN KANSAS.

estate agents blowing, or eve
farming?
These questions, with otheri
must be met and answered. !
. practical solution will be force
upon us. Our large towns ar
languishing, and the cry is, brin
US farmers to settle the sparsely
settled counties outside thes
towns. But it'has become a ques
ton of great interest with thes
farmers whether they can affor
to pay even five dollars per acr
for land, break and build, an,
make all the improvements to rul
farm successfully, and then Blu,
all the improved farm machinerI
required in farming at the presen
time, such as mower, reaper, grain
drill, ETC., and, after all this out
lay. expect, eight times out Of ten
to get fifteen cents a bushel 70
corn, three to five dollars per tor
for hay, fifteen cents for oats, tel
to fifteen cents per pound for but
ter, and other things in proper
ton.
What, then, are we to dor THAI
We are not in as prosperous con
dttion as five years ago, We al
know. And the reason is not tc
be found entirely in the stringen
cy OF the money market. Many
OF tue Ifarmers, we fear, are grow,
ing poor and disheartened: while
few men OF energy and an i'm.
monse amount of push are doing
WE'LL We may as well look this
thing ia the. face, We have been
living largely on the money that
immigration has furnished. We
are like a country importing near
ly everything and exporting moth
ing, or but little. A few cattle
and a good many hides, some
wheat, much of which comes back
in the improved shape of flower,
we paying freight both ways and
for manufacturing, with all the
profits of the middie-men or sew
eral traders that must have pay
for handling, and this is about all
Jul -APOA - ebHOuuI ~.
But We import u large amount
of cheese and corn starch, nearly
all orr cloth and clothing, hats,
boots and shoes, cotton goods,
farm machinery, etc. For all
these and much more we send
east, and that until our last dollar
is gone paying the east for the
article in its crude state, and also
for manufacturing the same, and
then wait for newcomers to bring
US more money, OF, whine. when
none comes. IL ttt'
will suggest o few things that
we could do in Kansas that would
furnish a good paying business
for some of our people, and a
market for the liberal product of
our soil, and at the same time
keep our money at home, a thing
so much needed noW:
q J.. n DoaTl Starch FdctOrY.-To
do this work, as / understand,
good clear water is needed. Few
persons, unless grocers, realize
how large an amount Of this sim
pie article is shipped into the
State from States where land aad
corn are high, to where, at times,
VIC are obliged to. use the corn for
fuel in order to dispose of it. It
ID estimated that one bushel of
corn will make fifteen pounds OF
corn starch, which. at wholesale,
is worth ut least eight cents per
pound, or one dollar and twenty
cents for the bushel of corn, and
then large percentage of the
corn is left to be used as feed for
stock. Why burn our corn, or
ship or sell as we frequently do
for fifteen cents per bushel, and
then ship in this article as q good,
round profit to the manufacturer?
.. Then there are canned goods,
or at least q part of them, peaches,
tomatoes, corn, green beans, and,
in some parts of the State, apples.
Car load after car load is not an
extravaganza estimate of the
amount of such things shipped
into and consumed in this State;
and all this from where land is
worth from $50 to $500 per acre,
and semitic a State whore land can
be purchased at from government
price to $40 per acre. Tin plate
to make cans Is among the lowest
rates of freight, and the peaches,
corn, tomatoes, ETC., can be pro-
duced in any quantity. Who will
start this enterprise this season?
3. The article of cheese should
never come across the Mississippi,
or cost US, as it does, twenty-five
cents per pound, with such supe-
rior advantages a. here for stock.
Every county should have one or
more cheese factories, and we
should ship cheese to New York
and Boston.
4. Tanning of hides and manu-
faeture Of our boots and shoes
should all be done in the State.
The making of boets and shoes
for the south and west is one of
the great industries of New Eng
Land. Farmers sons in six weeks
learn the trade of bottoming q
certain class of boots or shoes,
and spend the winter on that kind
of work, taking one or more cases
of work for Haverhill or Linn,
Mass, to the little shop in the
door-yard at home, and thousands
make this their business, and
make more at IL than our farmers.
We have the hides, why not tan
and work up and thus withdraw q
part of the people from producing
farm crops, and leaYe them as
consumers at home?
5. The same Is true of our hats.
The cost of buildings or ma
chinery, think, is not large; at
least l have seen many places
where our soft hats are made,
where, should judge, the invest
ment was quite small. Every
mans head in Kansas should be
covered by a good Kansas hat
made from wool raised here, apd
then our heads would be level.
9. Woollen mills furnishing
good cloth for mems wear, with
also all our flannel goods, can bt
established. We have in the State
some as good water-power as car
be found east, and it only needs
developing and using. We car
raise the sheep and furnish thu
wool; and if we had mills anC
machinery, it would give employ
mcnt to both men and girls. W,
can manufacture as cheap an,
good as can be done east. Gu
, tailers can make our clothes in a
good style as they can be mad