Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-08-25

4He preliminary arrangements I0l
the building OF a cooperative pack
ing plant for our city have been com
pleted and the field forces will soor
begin the work of selling stock. There
will be a house to house canvass
made, as it is the intention to inter.
est all the farmers in Marathon
and surrounding counties, and giving
all an opportunity to purchase stock
and become active participants in an
enterprise that promises to do more
fer the development of Marathon
county, and particularly its agricul-
ttlral interests, tnan anything else
ever undertaken in this city.
The benefits of packing plant to
the farmer ia general will be ready
market for their livestock at all
times, irrespective as to its condition
at the time of sale, for if it should
not prove fit for meat when delivered
at the plant, it will be taken to feed
ing farms in this vicinity where it is
fed until tit for killing.
A packing plant located near the
place of production offers many ad-
yantages. In the first place the own
er can deliver direct to the plant and
receive price based on the Chicago
market, less the cost of freightcharges.
There will be no middle man or
dealer to pay-.no charges for feeding
no expense connected with holding
of the stock in yards waiting for a
buyer, apd no commission for agents
making the sale.
The stockholders in the plant will
receive an annual dividend on all the
stock they own, and in addition, "a
dividend on all sales made to the
packing plant during the year,
Stock will be bought from anyone,
no matter whether a stockholder or
not, but non-stockholders VIII not
share in the profits in any way, ex-
cept by the higher prices paid for
their animals. The plant will be ar
ranged for the killing of cattle, hogs
and sheep. All the by-products will
be utilized, and there will be settling
tanks for all the waste to be manu-
featured into fertilizer.
Thus the direct benefit to the farm
er--the indirect benefit will be that
this direct market will result in larger
herds of cattle kept to consume the
products of the farm, that are now
shipped out in bales, and the utilizing
OF the greater amounts of manure re-
sulting from the feeding. With the
present scarcity of beef cattle, it be-
comes Of great value to stimulate
the growing of more cattle and better
feeding, in order to produce better
quality.
Too much immature stock is mar
'KeIed a6 the present time 70 be
shipped out OF the state to feeding
farms where the feeder gains all the
advantages that should and will go to
the grower in this community with
the advent of better markets, with
better prices, and the profits of the
middle men cut out.
Benefits to the consumers will be
in the direction of cheaper meats as
the freight on both the animals and
the finished products will be saved.
In general the prices of meats is on
the increase, due without doubt, to
the diminished production, and we
may look for a steady advance until
such time as the supply will reach
nearer the normal demand, but at all
times the establishing of the packing
plant will always enable our citizens
to purchase their meats below the
prices charged by the larger concerns.
For cur local butchers-those who
prefer to purchase their own animals
and kill them-there will be accom-
modations for the killing at actual
cost so that they will not be under
the necessity of operating slaugh-
terhouse of their own, and as all the
products of the packing plant will be
inspected by men appointed for that
purpose by the National Government,
both the retailer and the consumer
will always be assured of wholesome,
healthy meats. Furthermore, cities
of the size of Wausau are not in the
class that receive the best of the
packing house products, but with this
condition changed to local institu-
tion, the quality of meats offered to
the people of our city will be far
and away better than at present.
The benefits the city itself will de-