The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-06-15
PACNTG PLANT
BEE IS BUzzlNC'
Sioux Fails IS Making a Deter
mined Effort to launch
Big Industry There.
CONSIDERING III
But tho Sioux Falls People Seem IS
See the Greatest Hope, and That
a Remote One, in lndepcnd-
ent New York Butchers.

New York. June 14.-Efforts to SEE
tablish another northwestern live stock
n packing center, this time at Sioux
Falls, are afoot, and the movers in the
matter include former Senator r. r..
Pettigrew. Representatives. of x.rmour
& Co, and the Independent Butchers
organization of this city.
The utmost secrecy has been OBJ.
served by the Sioux Falls people who.
conducting the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
are .gsszAta
their bow, but the basis of leir plan
is the big packing house that eastern.
capitalists built in Sioux Falls about
fifteen years age, n that practically
was never operated.
This plant was one of the largest in
the. west when built. though later ones
are much larger. 1t Is big enough,
however, to be made the basis Of a good
live stock business tf 1t could be turned
over to one of the great packing con-
Germs and operated at It's full possible
capacity.
The imminence of developments at
this time is due to the fact that the lit
igat!on which for many years has tied
up the property is about to be settled.
The fall term of federal court in Sioux
Falls will. dispose of the last of the
pending cases, and a clear title to the
property will thereafter be possible.
Exactly what interest will take over.
the plant is still even by the
Sioux Falls people who are on the ms
side.
Senator Pettigrew recently stated that
negotiations We're afoot with the New
York Butchers association, which Is
powerful and rich, and more than will
ing to try its strength with the trust
firms. The butchers, il they should
take over the plant, would operate it
for the purpose OF supplying part of
their w demands for meat. Their OFF,
GERS have been seriously Interested in
the project, but 1t Is said that no con-
tract has yet been made. One objection
cited by them to establishing their
western packing headquarters at Sioux
Falls is that the town is so far north
that, while it would probably be pos
sible to secure the necessary supply of
hogs, it is doubted if fat cattle would
be at hand Moreover. there is also fear
that the hog supply would not be large
enough to operate a larger house, or a
second one if i. Should aver be wanted.
The butchers association has back of
it the tremendous market represented
by the retail concerns of the metropolis,
II could keep two or three big packing
plants in operation IL it should AXE the
final determination to slaughter it's own
meat instead of buying from the trust
firms.
In addition to the New York butch
ers, Armour & Co. have negotiated
with the Sioux Falls people with a
view to taking over and operating the
plant. 1t is understood that Pettigrew,
B. H. Lien and other capitalists of
Sioux Falls are interested and will try
to secure control of the plant after the
litigation is concluded. and use it as
an inducement to SOM packing inter-
est. Secrecy has been observed because
of fear that ST. Paul. Sioux City and
Omaha might use their influence to
prevent carrying out the scheme.
There is considerable difference Of
opinion as to the condition of the Sioux
Falls plant. 1t was built q long time
ago and has stood idle. On one hand it
is alleged to be old fashioned and to
require r~emodeling and retitting at
great cost before it can compete with
modern plants. On the other hand
the interested Sioux Falls people in
sist that it is a good establishment and
can at small expense be made equal to
any on the Missouri river.
Questions affecting railroad rates are
also understood to enter into the nego-
t~iations at the present stage. Whether
the railroads will make the conditions
such as to encourage development of
Sioux Falls as Il packing center is not
known, but it is certain that repre-
sensations have been made to some Of
them in the interest of the project.