The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-03-06
MONEY IN PORK.


1
Packing House at Portland Needed.
Portland, March A. After raising,
fattening, shipping and selling hogs for
longer time, perhaps, than any other
man in the Pacific Northwest, Ed. e.
Kiddle, banker and mill man Of Island
City, Or, is Of the opinion that wheat
fed to porkers yields 80 cents per
bushel, and that Portland, if properly
supplied with meat packing establish
ments, would be the trade center of the
Pacific coast. Mr. Kiddle said:
ut would take time to bring about
the condition Of affairs that would
make Washington and Oregon leaders
in the pork industry, but If properly
gone about ii can be accomplished.
"The thing is in rather chaotic
state at present. The man with suffi-
cient capital looks over the field and
Gays that he cannot afford to invest
his money because there is not suffi-
cient quantity Of pork produced to
warrant it.
"0n the other hand, the farmer has
his share of these troubles. He com.
plains that as there are no packing
plants he cannot afford to devote time
and energy toward growing hogs.
There is no market for them."
"The proper way to bring about such
market would be for those having
sufficient capital to put in the plant to
make tour or send out letters to farm
erS, thus ascertaining just how many
hogs would be produced in the event
the establishment was put into run
ming order. This would afford suf1i-
cient basis for each side to build upon.
The farmer would have a market guar
anteed and the packer would have
promise of sufficient pork to keep his
factory running.
81 have been in the business long
enough to know that there is good profit
in it for the farmer. | have fed hogs
on everything that will iatten them and
have kept accurate account of the re-
turns brought through this means. /
know these figures to be correct" /"
Mr.. Kiddle then showed that when |
wheat was worth so cents per bushel
and therefore cent per pound, it |
would yield returns Of approximately
90 cents per bushel when fed to hogs.
"The pork market is seldom if ever
less than 6 cents per pound" said Mr. |
Kiddle, "and four pounds Of wheat will |
make one pound Of pork, II cents
worth of wheat make a pound Of pork |
worth 6 cents, then there IL an advance
Of 2 cents on 4, which carried out pro-
portionately means 90cents per bushel."
When Washington and Oregon farm.
ers are talked to of 90-cent wheat they
laugh, and If they get 80 cents foH their |
crops they consider themselves very
fortunate. But, according to Mr.. Kid
die, it is posaible for them to secure
that price at all times.
Washington and Oregon are better,
so far as general conditions are con.
cerned. for hog-growing than aAy other
sections Of the Union" he said, "and |
1t will take meat packing establish
ment at Portland to bring this fact into
due prominence. Last fall I shipped
700 head Of hogs East. The pork de-
rived from them is now coming back to
the Pacific coast states in bacon and \
hams. This is not right. We should
be self supporting along this line at
least"
Askedsu hogs could be fattened on \
Northwest stubble, Mr.. Kiddle said:
~ do not think go, Hogs can be
turned loose on stubble and will get |
their growth without being fed, but
when 1t comes to preparing them for
market they must be fed on wheat.
The fence problem is a serious one in
this country. Few farmers have hog
proof fences, but these could be pro-
vided and would be in the event a
packing house was assured"
MF, Kiddle does not believe the
Northwest has any great future in beef
raising, the proper food for beef fatten-
ing being cheaper in the Middle West
ern states than here.