The Ottawa free trader., 1878-10-12
THE STARCH WORKS.
Ihe Improvements at this Establishment.

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This factory has for many years been the source
OF good deal of brag on the part of our people,
and reasonably 80 when we consider the great
number Of men it employs aud the amount OF
wages II pays 10 these men. During the pasttwo
years or more, however, it seemed to have been
rather quiet, in sympathy with other business
because Of the dullness Of the times Yet during
all this time it has been running, though at
times at loss, and payingit hands in cash every
week. II has not cut wages nor the usual length
of their time The working season for years past
has been for the winter only; and the amount Of
starch produced ran about seven tons per day
during the season.
Now that 'timcs" promise to improve and
general business prospects look more hopeful
the managers have decided upon an aggressive
course in the management of the factory; and
the first step is the enlargement of capacity. Be
fore speaking Of these let us say that the entire
factory from cupola to cellar has been overhaul
ed and in all necessary particulars made ms good
Us new.
Now for the changes. Formerly the process of
drying consisted in placing the cakes of starch
as they came from the settling yatsl upon hot
bricks and thus draw out the moisture. This
necessitated kilns for heating the bricks. The
new process is to do away with the bricks and
use the tile the tile to be heated by hot air pipes
upon which the tile are placed The kins for
mcrly used for heating brick are now to be used
for drying the starch, thus increasing the number
OF drying kns about onethird and the amount
OF starch turned out daily from seven tons to
something over nine. The boiler room for max
ing the hot air 70, drying pipes and such hot wa
ter as is needed, is now being erected in the rear
Of the buildings, and is totally unconnccted with
the main building except by pipes laid under
ground.
This Improvement and enlargement of itself
would be n matter Of fcongratuation, but the aim
OF the managers is to do more than this: namely,
to extend the manufacturing season from four or
five months per annum to twelve months; that
is, the constant operation of the factory night
and day throughout the year. Since the force re-
quired in all departments is about $50 men and 90
girls and boys in the packing room, the benefits
to the city of the constant employment OF this
force will be readily seen, since every cent OF
their pay goes into Ottawa merchants pockets
To the farming community the factory is OF no
small moment, since they will use during the
coming year about 10000 bushels OF corn for
which they pay two cents more per bushel than
the warehouses. They are now buying both old
and new corn. They are storing up, also, their
supply of box wood, some 100000 feet all OF
which the box factory will make up in the next
few months.
Seeing that the factory adds much to the bust
ness prosperity of the city, it would seem natural
that Ottawa Starch should here have the prefer
ence at least, that dealers should give it "a fair
chance with its rivals; and yet the managers tell
us that rival starch is forced upon the market
here in place of our own manufacture. Now they
don't ask all other goods banished from the trade
but that their goods be given chance for "A fair
competition on their merits. believing Ottawa
Starch equal to the best and as cheap And
really we think the request Il reasonable one and
one that our grocery houses should recognize.