Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-01-21

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the meat packing industry in the lower
part of this state, were in Wausau dur
ing the past week making an investiga-
ton of this city and surrounding
country with view of determining
whether it would pay them to build
packing houses and establish meat
packing industry here, and after care
ful investigation as to conditions and
the outlook for the future were con-
vinced that there is splendid opening
here for an institution of this nature,
claiming that if during the initial years
the industry was merely to save the
money paid on freight on live stock to
Chicago, the freight on the dressed
products returned 10 this part of the
country and was to utilize the by-prod-
ucts which now go to waste, these alone
would be sufficient to yield small divi-
dend on the capital it would be neces-
sary to invest in the business.
They found that carload after car
load of fat stock is shipped weekly from
this county to Chicago and other points.
where after being dressed and prepared
for market is shipped back to this Sec
ton, the raiser of the stock receiving
less for his animals and the consumer
paying more for the finished product
than there is any necessity for
Another feature of waste to which
their attention was called was in the
utilization of the by-products. With
each butcher operating an Independent
slaughter house, it is impossible to give
the by-products the attention they could
receive The hides, the tallow and the
bones are bought mp by agents repre-.
senting outside manufacturing institu-
tions, are looked upon as practically so
much waste and barely yield enough to
pay for the trouble of handling them.
These same waste products, if secured
in any amount and intelligently
handled, should return handsome
profit, enough to more than defray the
expenses of operation of the plant.
These gentlemen are practical pack
ers and have successfully reared busi-
ness in locality where the conditions
were not any more favorable than they
are here and where they were subject to
much keener competition, both in the
matter of purchasing stock and in dis
posing of their finished product.
They realize that it would take con-
siderable capital to successfully launch
project of this nature, and that during
the first few years it would be an uphill
pull, but they are confident that if the
farmers of Central Wisconsin were
given the proper encouragement, such
as they would receive from having an
institution of this nature located here
where they could always be assured of
the highest market prices for their
animals, they would soon be raising
stock enough to support very large
packing industry.
Good railroad facilities are of vital
Importance, but they feel that Wausau,
with its two roads and their many con-
nections is as well off in this respect as
any city in this territory and possesses
certain points of excellence as a dis
tributing center, as well as having
rich agricultural country and one which
is destined to become the leading stock
raising portion of the state, to draw
upon for their supply of raw material.
In addition to good railroad facilities,
advantageous by reason of one fact that
western stock passing St. Paul can be
advantageously diverted in this direc-
ton, should the local supply prove in
adequate, it is of the utmost Importance
to secure site for their packing house
adjacent to both railroads, four or five
acres being none too much for this pur-
pose, besides which they should have
grounds adjoining where if the occasion
requires they could hold from hun
dred to thousand head of cattle. In