Mower County transcript., 1903-09-09
AUSTIN PACK HOUS Sc.
Something Of its Magnitude and Inn
# portance as Seen BY an Outsider.


publican and Herald was recently in
Austin and while here visited the. Hor-
mel Packing House. On his return to
WNinona, he wrote up the follows for
his paper: ,f.$5,: Il. @s+ <s.. 3. a !.
An illustration Of the possibilities Of
soEeS of Winona's youngest industries
may be found at Austin, Mimi, where
a representative of the Republican and
Herald spent the past few days. The
rapid growth of the packing industry
there shows what may be accomplished
in this line from a small beginning and
gives reason for the belief that the
Winona Packing and Soap plant in a
few years may be the most important
industry in this section or even in
southern Minnesota. Through the
courtesy of Chas. Fox, Jr., of the Fox
Hotel we were shown through this big
Austin plant. e: IS. ..> :
Only, few years ago this industry
was started on q very small scale. Then
only. a few hands were employed but
the business was conducted with push
and energy, and it was soon found
necessary to increase, its size and the
present capacity was provided for. This
is the handling of about 800 hogs per
week. The killing capacity of the
plant is much greater, but the other
departments cannot handle more. The
demand for the finished product is so
great through the ,Dakotas and the
west that the management of the plant
is now completing additions to the var
inl1c h,1i11ironc vuh inhf will "a
double the capacity of the plant. This
means that close to 10000 hogs will be
killed and got ready for shipment as
finished food products in each week.
Heretofore this company has killed
only sufficient beef to supply the local
demand, but a very large plant is now
building to be used exclusively for beef
packing, canning, etc. This means thai
the value Of the plant to Austin anC
vicinity will now be doubled. ~ . es'
These plants in Austin are operated
on the same general plan, and with al
perfect asystem as are the big plants
OF: Swift, Armour, and the other grea
packers. But one point about tn,
/ Austin plant particularly impressed
| the visitor, and: that is the absolut,
cleanliness which is. maintained il
every department. 81. ..Sss .- 7 sSs ss .:ss
"a plant of I. this kind lis PARTICULAR
S5Yaluable a eli En- the sfirstSp place j
ltsensnbs naen,aIl
7 + Skilled WOrkmen, through the entir
l year. The pay roll each week amount
to several thousand dollars. In tn
second place, and even more importan
than the first, it furnishes constan
and excellent market for all the live
stock thatis raised by the farmers il
that entire contiguous section. O
course the larger proportion of the hog
| is shipped in, but nevertheless th1
farmers in the vicinity Of Austin re
ceive thousands of dollars each yea
i from this plant. -
The Austin plant started on mucl
smaller scale than the present Wlnon,
Packing and Soap plant and its loca
ton is not nearly SO advantageous a.
the one in Winona The Shipping
| facilities at Winona are much better
than at Austin and all conditions arr
| more favorable here. If Winona peo
pie will give this home industry the
support it deserves there is no reason
why it should not become larger and
a better plant than the one at Austin