The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-10
FROM A PACKERS
POINT Of VIEW
John Cudahy Discusses Past
and Present Conditions.
HOGS WERE TOO HIGH
A Few Suggestions That Are
Worthy of Consideration

sour new cooler is about finished and
we are going TO kill more hogs than we
have heretofore if we can get them, and
We can get them
That was what John Cudahy said yes
terday when speaking Of the outlook for
the packing houses in this city The big
packer arrived here from Chicago yes
terday morning and put in the day look
ing over the packing house
Mr.. Cudahy is popular among his en-
ployes, and even the commission men at
the stock yards have a good word for
him, and they many times take occa-
sion 10 express the belief that John Cud-
any is the coming Armour not only OF
Wichita but Of the whole trans Missouri
country.
When a reporter for the Eagle called
al the Cudahy plant TO see the big packer
he vas at once satisfied that the Wichita
house was running = suit him The
genial expression on the face Of Mir. Cud-
ahy lold better than words tnat Wichita
suited him for d packing center.
What DO you think OF the outlook now
from the standpoint Of a packer" was
the first question asked by the represen-
tative Of the Eagle. Mr. Cudahy had
been looking over sume long columns of
figures. He pushed his papers aside and,
turning round in MS chair. said with
that peculiar emphasis that characterizea
the man who knows what he is talking
about:
Il think the outlook is better now than
for some time past We are getting down
10 natural conditions. You people aUt
here may think that high prices for hogs
are all right, and it probably helped the
farmers here for a time, but hogs We're
too high
when we put hogs up to seven and
eight dollars and held them there people
made up their minds that we would never
have any more cheap hogs. and other
countries began TO turn their attention
10 the hog. over in Canada they raised
hogs on peas and competed with Us in
the European market. Canada began to
ship lots of Wnkeshire sides That is
the whole side OF the hogs with the head
and feet Off The high prices for hogs
encouraged the whole world 70 raise them
Why. ever Denmark increased her num-
Der of hogs for slaughter.
These high prices caused us TO ac-
cumulate stocks of meat because other
countries were taking part Of our trade
from us. We now have thirty-iive mil
lions ST ribs in Chicago. when we ought
TO have only about five millions at this
time of the year Since the price has
begun 10 run down the demand for the
meat is Increasing and stocks are being
shipped ont. We are now getting down
TO Q natural base and that is the reason
the outlook IL better for the packers.
When wet get hogs down to about four
and a half dollars a hundred we Will
shut of a good deal of this competition.
The Canadian farmer and the farmers
in some of the European countries, can
raise hogs when they are seven to eight
dollars a hundred ard feed something
else besides corn but when they get down
to four dollars and a half they cannot
do it.
-'Y0D can see from this that too high
prices for hoss while for the time being
seem to be just the thing for The west,
in the end viii react ard then il Will
be Il question whether it would not have
been better for all If we had kept right
along at n more reasonable price This
western country can raise hogs cheaper
than any other country in The world.
The farmer with his corn and alfalfa
can make money at such prices for hogs
that viii practically shut ont competi-
ton and hold the trade for himself. The
question is would il not br better Tor
him to try TO hold tie 2dvanttse that
he has"
You have said that you were going to
kill more hogs Do YOU think of still
further charging your plant here AT
Wichita
.'Oh. yes; / guess AIR. Brown Will keep
us binding New that we have com
pleted the enlargement of the cooler.
he thinks he will have to have new
Office building and new packing room,
and I guossNye viii 81 TO work on them
pretty soon"
Then YOU must be satisfied with the
location here for d packing house
Certainly, the location is all right,
because the best hogs in the country are
right around Wichita. 1t is true that the
railroads are sometimes little arb-
trary about rates ON our products. That
IS the only thing ] can think of against
Wichita. That is little against us, but
We are getting along pretty well.
Mr.. Cudahy smiled when he spoke of
the arbitrariness of the railroads as if
he thought this little Inconvenience an
time might he remedied. His son. John
Cudahy. Jr.. is here with him. They
viii return TO Chicago today