The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-03
THE NEW MEAT CENTER.

Not even the prospective glory and profit
of the coming Worlds Fair are cOnsoIing
Chicago for the probable departure Of the
Armour packing-hOuse. It seems to be set
tied that the gTea: institution, which has
done more TO build up the city by the lakes
than any other establishment in Chicago,
is to remove to Kansas City. On May 26
the agent of the Armours at the latter
place received orders to begin work to-
morrow and push Ii night and day" The
packing-house viii be the largest in the
world. There will be three principal build
ings, one 500x175 one 150x120, the third
120X100. In their construction six million
brick, twelve million perch Of stone and
half a million feet Of lumber viii be used,
aud 1900 men will be kept constantly at
work. When the building is finished it
VIII have daily Strengthening capacity OF
5000 cattle, 1900 sheep ana 5000 hogs. 1t
viii give employment to over two thousand
men, and viii do business If from sixty
TO seventy million dollars year 1t is said
that the example of Philip Armour is to be
followed by his competitors in business.
George Fowler Il Son, who are already at
Kansas City, are about to add two new
buildings go feet square and 90 feet high
to their plant Kerrigan & Co. announce
that they also will Increase their establish
ment, and Nelson Morris allows it to be I'M
derstoOd that be will follow Armour from
Chicago to Kansas City Finally, the great
English packing house, Budget & Co., talk
Of removing their entire plant from England
to the same point.
At the present time the average weekly
receipts Of livestock at the Kansas City
stockyaTds amount to $4,000 cattle, 1900
calves, $4,000 hogs and "a, 900 sheep. and the
average number of animals killed per week
is 10.250 cattle, rs calves, 10000 hugs and
1900 sheep. With the addition Of the Armour
establishment the average weekly Slaugb-
tering capacity Of the Kansas City packing
houses viii be 5000 cattle, 50, 600 hogs and
-, 600 sheep-a quantity of animal food
which the imagination can hardly grasp.
And yet. if the other establishments follow,
even these enormous figures viii fail to rep
resent the actual weekly capacity for con-
version OF live animals into food for the
table.
The object of the packers in quitting Chi
cago for Kansas City is TO get nearer the
original sources of supply. Under the rail-
road tariffs now in force the transportation
charge on dressed beef cannot exceed the
transportation charge on live beef. When
livestock has been slaughtered and reduced
to dressed, canned and packed products, and
the waste disposed of, the equivalent Of two
carloads of live cattle can be shipped in
single car. Thus the nearer the packer gets
to his sources Of supply the less he has TO
pay for transportation. The packing bust
ness. Ike the lYe-cattle market, is con-
stauly moving nearer and nearer to the
ranges.
II MI Edward Atkinson is right in stat
ing, as he does in a late magazine article,
that there is sill in this country "incalcula-
bic room for immigrants" ne must reckon
that the unOccupieG land which is available
for pasturage is larger than the public have
supposed. and that there is no reason to ap-
pTehend the meat famine which used to be
so often predicted. In point OF fact it seems
pretty certain that this country viii supply
all tie animal food which persons now living
are likely 10 consume. without drawing upon
the pastures of Australia, and any reduc-
ton in the cost of producing the finished
product should be matter of c0ngratulation