The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-17
W|LEs OF CREAMERY SHARKS
HOW COMMUNITIES ARE CHEAT.
ED IN PLANTS.
Professor Linfeld of Agricultural
College Offers Excellent Advice to
Farmers-Some Startling Figures.
TO the Editor of The Herald

The people OF the United states are
quick to coin an expression to suit any
new or unusual condition. The term
creamery shark" is perhaps not the
! least expressive of these 1t is term
used to describe those agents who by all
| the wiles of the salemans art, ana py
dint of highly colored descriptions OF the
dairy business. take advantage OF the
peoples lack of knowledge OF the true
cost of a creamery plant and collect $a,oo
to 5000 for d plant worth from $2,5W 10
So. 900. Plants are often built by such hrmS
in places where there is not and could not
be for some years enough milk to support
them Thus, they are generally run at d
loss for some time and then CLOSED; so
that the people frequently lose not alone
on the first cost, but hnally the plant
itself
Between the years 1890 and 1892. Utah
had its first experience with creamery
sharks. During this time Chicago nrm
built five factories in the state. TWO In
Utah county, one in Davis. on In BOX
cost the people from 5000 to $500 each:
They were not worth 5000. Only one OF
the plants has been really a success and
that was so because the owners were
men of means. Two of the plants were
closed in d year or two and their owners
lost all they had put into thenit-they have
disappeared. The other two have had a
precaIious existence. They have changed
hands frequently and have only just kept
running. Another very bad result has
been that the experience with these
the localities where they were built that
these are at present the most backward
dairy districts in the state. though the
opportunities of the localities are equal
to any of the places that have been very
successful. Since this time the number
of factories in the state has kept In
creasing in number until there are now
nearly fifty-five factories and skimming
stations in operation. Practically all or
these have been built by the people of the
localities where they were situated, and
\ L.. f,s1. xx~t.f No
factory was SO built. During the past
season Utah and its neighbor on the
north, Idaho, have been again afflicted
with the creamery shark, though in not
quite so bad form as was the first at
tack. know of three creameries in Idaho
and five in Utah built by these creamery
promoters AT Idaho Falls. Ida, a plant
, was built at a cost to the people of $500.
In recent letter the president of the
company said that he had several offers
to duplicate the plant for 5000. couple
of weeks ago l met a gentleman from
there in~Salt Lake City. and he said the
people felt discouraged over the deal. The
milk supply was scarcely enough to clear
expenses and they had been closed for
some months but expected to start UP
again. During the month of August l Wis
tied creamery built by these same pro-
motors in one of the central counties of
Titan. made a careful inventory of all
the machinery and equipment and from
the catalogue of the firm from which the
machinery was purchased by the. pro-
ment at about S1,20 to $500. My eSti-
mate was confirmed by the acting man.
aser of the house from which the plant
was purchased, whom | met on the train
to Salt Lake a few weeks ago. His fig
ureS showed that the equipment could
not nave cost more than $1.a00 laid down
at the Utah station l made inquiries
from local carpenters as to the cost of
the building, and they placed an outside
figure at $500. The planning mill which
supplied the building material, which. I
=
iron for the roof said their bill was be-
low $500. and they estimated 800 for the
roofing; $500 TO put the building UP they
thought a monied proposition. If we will
add to this 500 for putting the machinery
in place il would indicate a cost to the
promoters, outs.de of their own time, of
3 800 for the plant; The people paid $4,000.
This as a little better than the Idaho
plant referred TO, where for identically
the same thing, as far as | can learn,
the people paid $500 more. -,
The other plants in this state ! have
not visited as yet, though l have talked
with several people who have. and all
of them say there Is at least a difference
of $1,000 between the cost of the pant and
its worth Two of these creameries were
built one on either side of another cream
cry and not more than three or four
have served the people of the whole COM
munity for several years to come. The
one creamery could have done Il prosper
Gus business. The three are likely to
l have been rather surprised at the
crude way some people. apparently inteli-
gent people. make up their mind as to the
worth of creamery. A delegation from
at work. called upon the owner of
creamery and wanted to know how much
his plant cost. When told it was $3.50
they went away perfectly satisfied, be-
cause they were offered a plant fully
equipped for $4,000 They apparently for
got that one man might pay sllOoo for a
house and set g g. d bargain while another
and get badly sold. l know a creamery
in this state fully equipped that cost but
$2,cOe. know of another that cost at
parties got the worth of their money. 1t
is not difficult for any company of farm
ers to get an estimate on the machinery.
etc. necessary 10 equip a creamery Any
creamery supply house. and there are
several in the county. will furnish such
an estimate and also a plan for the
creamery if desired. There are carpenters
in every locality who will give an estimate
of the cost of the building and put it up.
| believe fully in the people doing this
work for themselves. While II seems
easy. very easy to delegate this work
10 some stranger who will do all the work
and turn over the finished plant complete
in every detail yet the. owners have lost
a great deal of experience which they
would find of great profit 10 them when
they started to run the creamery. An
experience. the lack of which has told
plants built on the mo trouble" plan.
AS noted above those who assume the
trouble generally manage to get Well
paid.
/ trust that the few points called at
tention to will cause the people of any
locality TO not hastily close a deal which
involves the giving of $1,000 for a cream
cry until after thorough investigation.
know of one place in this state where.
last summer, within four days after the
matter was suggested, the people had
committed themselves to the deal with the
creamery promoters. Wait lew weeks
and investigate the matter for your
selves. | am always pleased 10 give any
information as to where creamery ma
chinerY may be obtained. Get prices
yourselves and compare with those Of
fered. so that if you do finally close the
deal with the promoters you Will at least
know what you are paying them.
consider 1t my duty to give this warn
ing as | am particularly interested in
the growth and development OF the dairy
industry of this state. For the past SIX
sistently the building of more factories
and the charging of the dairy operation
by the farmers. I believe where the sup
ply of milk Is adequate tand IT should
never be less than 5000 TO 1000 pounds per
day. with chances for generous growth;
the creamery Is a paying proposition. ana
perhaps the only way by which marked
success in the dairy business can be OBJ
must protest against such methods as
are referred to in this article as Deiiere.
and the experience of the state calls IN
the thought that the encouragement tnat
always follows the building of creameries
by those promoters has done more to
hinder and even XIII the development of
the dairy business than, any other one
cause / know of. and that not in this
state alone. but in every state in the
Union that has been afflicted by the
creamery shark. j say. do not hastily close