The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-11-21


tions exist between the employers and
employees and they seem satisfied, and
take pleasure in the work. None seem
to be driven beyond their strength or
even mp to the capacity of their limit.
But few accidents occur, and little sick
ness among the men, the building being
easily ventilated and properly heated.
The Company haye inquiries daily from
men desiring to work, while the general
manufacturers find it rather slow get
ting sufficient help. Men naturally
seek the most pleasant labor as well as
the most renumerative. Take it all in
all the factory seems a happy and muni
cipal industry, and citizens of all grades
and occupations have only one kind
criticism to make, and that is, there
is not enough of them; we wish there
were more Ike it" The capacity of
the plant is 20 tons of sugar per day, or
900 tons of beets per day; they can
crowd it to 800 tons. This requires
about 1000 acres of land to furnish the
beets which gives employment to many
hundred women and children during
the wedding and trimming season.
Wagons are so arranged as to hold 20 to
80, and are driven from the city mornings
and back at evening with their happy
loads of women and children who earn
during the season from rs cents to $2. 90
per day. Children need not be out of
school, as the season comes during the
vacation, largely, and conduces to the
health and proper growth of the little
fellows as well as adding to the income
of the family, this employment being
diametrically opposite to factory en-
ploy for both women and children.
Those most benefited are the farmers,
that is in financial way; first they re-
ceive ready pay for their product, and
can estimate what they will realize per
ton, or the profits and do not need to
fear falling price at the time of mar
keting. Rain does not injure the crop
if left in the field or ON the wagon:
frost does not lower the price any, un-
less left to thaw out, and if the prices
do not suit the farmers, or they desire
to change back to the old lines of farm
ing on account of unsuitable prices,
those who have so much money invest
ed in these immense plants will soon
find way to make the prices about
right in other words, the business is at
the mercy of the farmers. 1t induces
the improvement of the roads, as the
prompt profit received by the farmer
encourages him towards better roads so
that he can market his crop with less
energy and expense. 1t hardly seems
possible that the cost of hauling the
products of the farms to market in the
U. S. exceed the expense of operating
the entire railway system of this
country, but such is the report of the
industrial commission. This, of course,
is due to poor roads. The average
length of time of a campaign of sugar
making or time the plant is run is
about 100 days at this plant. This time
multiplied by the daily wage paid,
makes large amount of money divided
and sent out among the people, and
leaves nearly 200 working days in the
year that the employees can have for
other employment, such as the cultiva-
tion Of the beets which many of them
do, and it brings in good yearly wage.
There are in the neighborhood of 40
men kept at the plant during the closed
season, making repairs, changes, and
taking care of the property. 1t is dis
tributor of money. 1t might be called
collective ownership institution, its
profits and benefits are so divided
among the farmers, the city working
men and the investors, and we, here in
this county, may well congratulate our
selves upon the rapid development of a
great industry like this, with demand
for its product so far in advance of the
capacity to produce, and the warranted
erection of such plant in this county
and with the proper legislation, so that
the growth of the industry may receive
no set backs, will no doubt cheaper the
product to the consumer, which in time
causes much larger consumption, as
the price of a product decreases the con-
sumption increases. As an illustration,
Austria Hungary, produces 5 per cent
of the salt used in the world, but furn-
ishes nearly 80 per cent of its value. In
1893 the product in that country was less
than one-fourth the product of the us,
but the value of that product there was
more than three times that of the u s.
The first cost to the consumer in the U.
S. being about $500 per ton, and in
Austria, Hungary, it is over $40per ton,
and it is safe to assume that very little
salt is wasted by the people of that
country. The cheapening of salt in
this country has increased the con-
sumption and developed many indus
tries dependent upon it. The same will
be true of the new industry, Beet
sugar." AS it becomes more and more
perfected in the growing of the beet