The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-27
HOW CAPACITY
Is INCREASED.
Improvements and Additions
TO Wichita'S Packing Houses.
5000 HOGS PER DAY
And 800 Cattle the Houses
Will Kill After Sept. /.

There is great activity about the pack
ing houses in this city at the present
time. 1t is not the season CT the year
when there is an extraordinary supply
of stock for the packers to XIII and take
care of, but on the contrary. the time Of
year when there is always lun in the
trade.
The great activity about the packing
houses is the preparation for the next
years campaign beginning next fall. Dold
is putting the finishing touches on the
greatest packing plant ever built west OF
the Missouri river and Cudahy IS en-
larging the steam power Of his plant to
more than double what it was when he
came into possession.
The commission men at the stockyards
and the stockyards people. as well as the
stock shippers and the stock raisers all
over the southwest know that this all
means that Wichita, as a packing center,
IS marshaling her forces for a great for
ward movement. She is now in shape to
handle the stock that is naturally tribu-
tary to this point.
One year ago the Cudahy and the Dold
houses were both running and each under
favorable conditions could handle about
800 hogs a day making so. Cudaby has
enlarged until he now has capacity for
1900 hogs a day and he contemplates
more enlargement. while the capacity Of
the new Dold plant viii be 1.s00 hogs a
day and thus il viii be seen that the
Wichita packers can kill 8, 600 hogs a day.
IN addition to the great enlargement Of
these houses for packing hogs, they are
getting ready to enter the dressed beef
trade in way that means much FOR
Wichita Dold IS completing a fine beef
plant with all the modern facilities for
handling cattle cheaply and Cudahy is
getting ready to enlarge his cattle killing
plant. Heretofore one corner of the
packing houses have been set apart for
the killing of few cattle. but now there
is preparation for handling beeves on a
large scale. 1t would be a very conserva-
tive estimate to say that by this time
next year. and long before this time,
there will be 5000 hogs and 800 cattle
killed every day in this city. That will
mean great hog and cattle market
The packing business is no longer an
experiment in this city and the packers
have no fear of not being able to dispose
of their products from all the stock they
can buy at legitimate prices The trouble
with them up to this present time has
been TO make the products in sufficient
quantities to supply the demand. There
are no finer hogs than those raised in
southern Kansas and Oklahoma and
Wichita is the center of the greatest cat
tie region. not only Of America, but Of
the world
The question is sometimes asked IL the
packers Of this city do not think that the
location of packing houses at Fort Worth
will cut into their trade They thipk
nothing of the kind and the reason why
they do not IS apparent when one looks
over the situation.
In the first place, packers are too good
business men to try TO cut one another's
threats in a business way They are so
conservative in this direction that il has
led many people to believe they have
formed a trust 1t IS 223 miles from Wich-
tia to Kansas City by the Santa Fe and
by the same road 20 Fort Worth from
Wichita is 3U miles. The great hog belt
OF the Arkansas valley is north Of Okla
homa City and that Oklahoma CONNER
cial center IS good many miles nearer
Wichita than Fort Worth
Some people suppose that when Armour
and Swift open their packing houses at
Fort Worth they viii prt the prices 50
high that they win draw hogs even from
Kansas City. That would cause the
Wichita packers TO meet the raise and
that would draw the hogs from Kansas
City's territory where Swift and Armour
have packing houses. That would put
them in the same condition that John
Cudahy was in when he had a packing
house at Nashville and one al Louisville.
He could not get hogs enough TO run his
Nashville house without raising the price
OF hogs 10 draw them from Kentucky.
and when he did that he simply took
them from his Nashville house he got
tired OF that and came TO Wichita and
bought hogs for his Nashville house.
Armour and Swift VIII not try that kind
OF a game bu; & they want hogs from
Wichita territory, they will come to witch
tia and buy them. just as the Fort Worth
packing companies used 70 do and that
viii help to make Wichita great I've
stock market.
Begging pardon for the use OF the slang
phrase. there are no flies on Wichita.
as a packing center. Her position with
reference 10 the great hog and cattle sup
ply gives her q commanding position ard
10 combination however strong can take
from her the advantages II her position
and the big packers are too gocd husi-
ness men 70 try that. That feeding -
meal "a cattle is fast making
q feeding ground OF Texas and Armour
and Swift are going 70 Fort worth 20
kin cattle and there Is NOT . legitimate
reason on earth why Wichita people
should not wish them success. Pert
worth's prosperity can not even remotely
hart wichita II Armour ard Swift can
rot get all the hogs they want AZ Fort
Worth. they VII be welcomed an the
wichita market. just as tne huyer from
Arruour-s kansas CITY house now IS
People in Cklahona wli continue e
ship their hogs 10 Wichita because they
viii be on the Tine ~ the great markets
on the lake and the Missouri river. while
II ;hey 90 to Fer, Worth they VII ~ n