The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-12-11
DO THE cArTLEMEN THINK ?

)nce, lately. discussed the ACCESSIBILITY
Of butchering TeXas-grown beef at
home, and sending the meat to distant
countries, preserved in transit by re
1t has held that by such
a course the cattlemen of this state
could occupy a different relation to
trade than in begging right of way
through the Indian Nation and Kan
sas and other states and terri
tories for way over which 10 drive
beef to market. 1t is gratifying to
know, that already refrigerator COM
panies have been organized to engage
in butchering cattle and preparing
meat fer transportation to distant
markets. THERE'S company at Fort
Worth engaged iu this sort of work.
OF 1t the Gazette says:
One of our public-spirited citizens,
backed by Baltimore capital, sue
ceeded in opening the works and
setting in motion again the machln-
cry of Strengthening cattle for the
northern markets. 1t was desired to
demonstrate that there was at home
here stehdy and reliable market for
all kinks of cattle and that more could
be made by Strengthening here than by
shipping. Both methods have been
tested and steers from the same
lot have been shipped alive and
also transported dead. In the case
of the live shipments they lost money,
while the refrigerated cattle made
good profit. There have been slaugh-
tered thousand head of cattle of all
kinds during the past four weeks,
which have in every instance made
money for the owners. Yet it is al
most impossible to purchase from the
vast herds passing through this city
on the cars enough fat cattle to I'LL
eastern orders. The cattle market
in Chicago for the past month
has been fearfully low and
nearly every shipment has lost
the. owners money. Parties shipping
nine hundred pound steers have re-
fused to sell them here for 1927, but
have sent them to Chicago and soil
them for 1913 and 500, and paid out OF
that freight, commission and charges.
| This discrimination against the re-
| frigerator works, for it cannot be
called anything else, either shows a
Woful amount of ignorance on the
part of cattlemen and cattle shippers,
or very small respect Tor the pros
perity of an institution capable OF
distributing a 100000 month
among our citizens. There has not
been a day during the past month but
the work could have handled hun
dred nine-hundred-pound steers. If
the loss on this number by shipping
alive is computed it will be seen it
amounts to at least $500 day which
has been thrown away by somebody
who isn't smart enough to see where
is the best place to place his cattle
Now the question has been asked
over and over again by the eastern
parties who are handling Fort Worth
dressed beef, "Are you sure of rell-
able supply of fat cattle?" The
question, viii it pay, can you
slaughter and refrigerate as well as
f. Chicago? has never been asked, but
will you get the cattle to run on .
is the vital interrogatory. Now sur
rounded by thousands of cattle Pas,
sing its very doors, the gentlemen
operating the works are put to their
trumps to get cattle such as is re
quired for their daily supply. Oh
course every tub must stand on it;
own bottom, and the Fort Worth
refrigerator works proposes to dC
that, but in the interest of this City
we ask our cattlemen if they dom
think it is good time TO look int
this matter and help build up ;
market here at home, and keep tht
money here.
There is spirit among Texas people
opposed to sustaining homo enter
prises. A Texas shipper viii send tt
Chicago and lose thousands of dollars
rather than to sell at home. Though
the folly of such a course may b.
learned by bitter experience, the same
process is iagain and again repeated
We have told caJtlemen how they
might save vast deal of money by
establishing refrigerator works in va
rious parts OF the state. Instead O
this, they continue to talk abou
national trail,' that is i'm
practical, and they keep on crowdine
beeves on cars, to be shipped grea
distances to their infinite loss. 1t ha
been demonstrated that shipping tn
prepared meat pays, and it is known
home sales pay Certainly the cattle
men are not so selfish as to prefe
themselves to loose money rather thai
to permit others to make it. If sc
why do they not organize, as we hav
said, and ship their own beef and max
all the money themselves.