The Ordway new era., 1912-05-03
Upbuiding of State Through the Beet Sugar
Industry Is Pointed Out by President
Windfelder of Sugar City Plant
ADDRESS BEFORE FINANCE COMMUTE OF SENATE


employment will he the abolition or
the tariff on sugar, according to j. IL.
Windfelder, president Of the National
Sugar Manufacturing company, wllch
operates plant at Sugar City Mr.
Windfeldcr appeared before the sem
ate finance committee and maze
statement rs follows:
"The National Sugar Manufacture
ing company owns and operates 5oo'
ton daily slicing capacity beet sugar
factory. which it built in 1900, at u
time when much enthusiasm existed
among farmers and men Of means to
enter this promising agricultural and
manufacturing busi ness. This c0m'
pany elected to build its plant In
Otero county, Colorado. on the line OF
the Missouri Pacific railway. on the
north side OF the Arkansas river In
part Of that territory known as the
Arkansas valley. In the midst or
about ~. 900 acres Of prairie land. on
which. up to that time, nothing agri-
culturally had been attempted; all
the pioneer work incidental to this
prairie location was performed at
much labor and expense, yet with en-
thusiastic courage and with great
hopes for the future. The railroad
appropriated an old box car for
station building. The company sur
veyors. when laying ont townsite and
factory site. lived in tents and had to
20 to the nearest sand creek several
miles of for their drinking water
Similar conditions attach to much OF
the pioneer work in the west, and are
cited here simply to give an idea "i
original conditions for comparison
with conditions prevailing now over
the same territory.
AFTER twelve years Of work with
alternate success and disappointment,
great changes have been brought
about. Sugar City has now 200 in.
habitants. a system OF water works
with street mains, public schools
with 300 children attending, electric
lights. three churches, a newspaper, a
bank. an orderly. intelligent commun-
ity. depending almost entirely upon
the permanency OF the beet sugar
business for Its existence.
"The absence OF farmers close to the
plant compelled the company to plant
for itself about 1000 acres OF prairie
land to beets the first year: only few
farmers living ten to twenty miles
west OF Sugar City contributing bcets
The second year a large increase In
tonnage resulted, and In 1906. 10000
tons OF beets were harvested. and
800, 900 OF new wealth was created In
this one year by this one factory. AS
the farmer gradually became familiar
with the industry. the sugar company
reduced its own plantings. Each year
new farmers came to this territory
from Illinois. Iowa, Missouri, etc,
and purchased and leased land near
the factory. Prairie conditions were
slowly conquered, and today where
there was nothing In 1900 but range
cattle, prairie dogs and coyotes, there
Is a cultivated stretch of country with
farm houses, alfalfa land, fruit,
sugar bee:s and a contented and pros
porous community.
| The sugar company steadily ad.
vanced the price paid, the farmer for
sugar beets, paying ~ per ton for II
per cent beets and $3.50 for 10 per
cent beets the first year, and paying
today $3.50 for beets testing between
l2 per cent and l6 per cent, and sc for
l6 per cent and above.
Our books show for the last five
years, 1907. 1905 l9O9.l9lO and 1911.
that 1t cost us as high as 4.6 cents and
as low as 3.s cents or an average for
the five years OF All cents per pound
to manufacture standard granulated
sugar in bags, in warehouse, ready for
shipment. and In this cost there Is not
included any interest on our invest.
ment nor depreciation OF plant.
Our books further show for this
same last five years, that we sold this
manufactured product, STANDARD
Granulated Sugar" atan average price
OF 10 cents per pound on cars at fac
| tory. and this average includes the
abnormally high pricesof l9ll-l2. The
first few years Of our existence were
pioneer development years, and figures
OF cost during this period are neces.
sarily out of the ordinary and useless
for comparativ purposes.
We pay the railroads in the shape of
freight on beets, coal, coke. lime,
rocks. bags and sundry miscellaneous
operation supplies, and on the finished
sugar to destination, an average Of
not less than Sl.4o for every ton OF