The Worthington advance., 1882-05-11
THE GREAT PORK MERCHANT.
An Interview with Phil. Armour, tie IA
nous Packer.

An Interview with Phil. Armour, tie Ea-'
Boston Herald
In all. Phil. Armour is facile princeps
among the makers of pork. Over l,OOO,-
600 hogs we're killed at his Chicago packirg
house last year. over 500, 900 more at bis
packing house in Kansas City. several
hundred thousand moro at his establish
ment at Milwaukee. de killed mo1e
pol kefs-50O, coo mofe-within tho last
twelve months than both Cincinnati and
st. lcnis put together. Twenty:fv mil.
ion. dollars OF his money were distributed
in the corn belt Of this country for live
hogs last year. He sits in his office on
Washington street. in Chicago, and every
day talks over the wires with his Own
employees in London, Liverpool, Antwerp,
Copenhagen, HarTe, Hamburg. and With
hundreds Of others distributed through
out the Southern States, with his part
mere st New York and
Milwaukee. When he believes in
pork he buys, not only sach as is within
easy reach, but every barrel and pound Of
meat that ia for sale in the world. Having
bought it. he sells it, not to tho great spec
ulators IN this country and abroad, but
himself distributes every pcnnd Of it With
bis own distributing machinery-she most
elaborate 10 the world--to the PORK caters
in the southern cotton states, in the manu.
featuring districts OF England and France,
the agricultural section Of Germany. ana
he lumber regions of the north. In 1879
MIR. Armour was the owner Of practically
every barrel of pork in the world. Within
the next year he had sold it all over fo1 con-
sumption. His speculation petted him, it
is said, s. 600, 600.
Tho hostile action Of the French gov.
ernment," said Mr.. Armour, "was ostensi-
bly, taken for sanitary reasons. It was real
ly urged, however, By French protectionists
and sprung b. wild minister of commerce
who was seeking popularity"
foreiguf"
NO, for corn-fed hogs can never make
as palatable food az hogs fed on barley and
tufnip; bat one is good deal cheaper than
the other. Barley costs nearly twice as
much as cors. The Westp lalia hams cost,
in London l20 to l25 sbillings per 100
pounds. Tbs very choicest American meate
cost only little over half these figures"
"Is canned beef likely to. take the place OK
cured pork: and, as the canning trade in
creases. is the killing and curing of hogs
likely to grow less?"
mo. The two styles Of meats do not per~
form the same Office, aud do not, conse-
quently, conflict. The poor people huy
pork to work OF. They buy canned beef
as luxury, and it takes the place of the
fresh meat that they are not able to buy.
American packers can sell the English mill
operatives and the other poor people Of
Europe two pounds of canned corned beef,
boneless, and every part Of which is dible,
for just one-half what two pounds Of
fresh meat. bone and I'll, would
cost them. About the only thing that of-
fects the demand for pork, aside from the
general prosperity, is the pea crop in Eu-
rope, big crop making the demand lively,
and failure creating serious falling OF.
The peasant woman makes soup out OF
peas and fat back, Of which they are all
very fond"
asked Mr.. Armour whether the pack
ing industry was on the move westward,
and whether Chicago was destined ere long
to lose its supremacy as Cincinnati had Al
ready lost hers? He said:
The hogs are certainly moving west.
Whereas Cincinnati was once in the center
of ths American hog raising region. it is
now almost outside Of it. Kansas City is
certainly nearer the hogs now than Chicago
is, but the latter city is likely to remain fox
some time the great packing center. The
railroads havo made expensive arrange
ments for delivering live stock at the Chi.
cago yards; transfer stations have been es-
tablished, and the Union Stock Yards have
an enormous property mere. All these
interests will oppose change"