The new era., 1909-07-22
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED THOU.
SAND CATTLE RECEIVED
AT DENVER MARKET.
MOSTLY PASS THROUGH
GREAT BENEFITS THAT WOULD
ACCRUE TO STATE BY sLAUGH-
rERING THEM IN COLORADO.

.o.-s
these over and above what were used
in the home tannery amounted to 227
cars Of green and "A cars of dry hides
shipped to eastern markets to be
tanned into leather and reshipped to
Colorado In the finished product. 1t
seems logical to conclude that if our
home factories in the manufacture OF
leather goods, such as shoes, harness,
trunks, valises, art leather, belts, sus-
penders, ETC., were given preference
over the imported articles that 1t
would not be necessary to ship hides
to eastern markets to be made into
leather.
The Denver tannery at present en-
ploys fifteen men at an average wage
Of $2.25 per day. It should be possible
to increase this to $50 men with an
annual payroll disbursement of $1O2,-
163.
Denver and Colorado packers are
rapidly increasing their distributive
territory and brief history Of this
great commercial factor may prove in
teresting. The packing industry in Den
yer was commenced in the year 1872,
at which time the firm of Hoffer
Brothers established a small plant in
this city. In 1876 the plant was taken
over by Walters, Aicher and Walters.
and short time afterwards this plant
was in turn taken over by the Stand
ard Meat and Live Stock Company, and
by them operated to the present day.
In 1882 Smith Brothers OF Denver
built a small plant near the present
stock yards for the purpose Of killing
hogs and carried on considerable
business of this character and after
wards incorporated the slaughtering
of cattle and sheep. This plant is now
owned and operated as the Denver
Packing and Provision Company.
In 1885 Burkhardt Brothers opened
a small plant of their own. In 1888
the first of the large plants was inaug-
urated under the name and style OF
the Colorado Packing and Provision
Company Mr.. Henry Gebhardt estab-
lished this plant and operated 1t until
q year ago, when he turned the man.
agement over to his son Charles. In
1894 Smith and Brothers opened an
other small plant, which is still in
operation.
In 1908 the largest plant of them all,
the Western Packing Company, was
capitalized and managed by Denver
capital and men, Mr. Claude Boett-
cher being the active working mana
ger of this plant, which has grown to
magnificent proportions. In 1903 the
Coffin Packing & Provision Company
also opened up very successful
slaughtering and packing business.
which is under the management OF w.
N. W. Blayney, president. This makes
in all six packing plants located
at the stock yards. The aagre-
gate number of employees in
these six plants is about 100
men. The average wage. about $500
per day. Say that 1900 of these men
are heads of families, with an aver
age family of four, one can arrive at
the figure that they represent in the
population of the city.
The following statistics show the re-
ceipts of live stock at the Denver I'm
ion Stock Yards in 1908, and the num-
ber slaughtered by Colorado packing
plants. The balance were shipped to
eastern markets to be handled through
the packing houses at st. Louis and
Chicago and reshipped to Colorado in
the finished product:
Totals for Year 1908.
Slaugh- Shipped
Receipts. tered. out.
Cattle .... .395,164 6S,600 326,564
Calves >. 39,S57 1920 24,657
Hogs .2SO,2SS 27S,SO0 LASS
Sheep ....675,235 94,1Oo 5S1,135
Total number of cars received
1865.
There are. as stated above, six pack
ing and slaughtering plants at che
stock yards with a capacity to handle
three times the quantity that Is slaugh-
cred here at the present time, and
Colorado packers are ready to enlarge
their plants and increase their capac-
ity for supplying the demand as rapid
ly as necessity requires, and Colorado
people are the market channel that
they depend on for distribution to
maintain and increase the prosperity
OF the packing house industry in our
home state.
The purchase of food products de-
pend. largely upon the lady of the
house. and her cooperation is earnest
ly solicited in aiding the Colorado
Manufacturers Association in their
campaign for greater loyalty to Colo
RADIO made goods.
Another matter for consideration.
There is annually shipped into Colo
RADIO 100000 pounds or 800 carloads
of packing house products. Think
what it would mean If our Colorado in
stitutions could have this amount add
ed to their output. AS stated before,
an increase in the production necessi-
tates a corresponding increase in num-
ber of employees, which adds to the
payrolls for distribution at home.
The quality of hogs slaughtered in
Colorado is equal If not superior to
any slaughtered in the United States.
Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska being
-
raised OF alfalfa and fattened on corn,
giving a fine grain to the meat. The
meat is more firm and better grade
than that of hogs raised further east.
The same is true of western fed beef.
In fact, Colorado produces the equal
in grades of beef, veal. pork and NUT
ton of any country in the world.