The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-13
Death of Partner in Armour
Packing Company Recalls
Important Achievement
INVESTED u. S. CAPITAL
IN ARGENTINA CATTLE
In Case of Shortage in Western Beef
American Packers Get Supply
From South American
Plains

by RUTLAND
New York. September 12.-(Special)
An incomplete inventory of the estate
of the late P A. Valentine fixes the
amount at not less than $4,000, 900.
Some of those who have been familiar
with Mr.. Valentines career are in
clined to think that the amount is too
SMALL and that it may ultimately he
discovered that he accumulated not less
than s15,ooo,O0O
Excepting in financial and some or
the larger Industrial circles Mr.. ya1en-
tlne's name was an unfamiliar one Yet
ne was one of the notable business in
fluences of the United States who. in
addition to extraordinary ORGANIZING
capacity also greatly extended our com
mercial relations with South America
MT. valentine was not an old man.
Inc disease to which he succumbed is
supposed to have been brought on bv
nara work and excessive mental con-
centration. Nevertheless it was not &C.
casioned by worry, for in his entire
business career he was SO successful
that with possibly single exception
-that OF the governments action
against the beef packers-he never had
any occasion to worry.
Mr.. valentine was associated almost
all his business life with the great
armour packing house and some of the
hlghly perfected organization methods
ADOPTED by that house are understood
TO nave been suggested and worked out
by him. Unlike the Armours. who wera
farmers sons in central New Yorlx-a+
least, one of them began his career as
farmers boy-Mr. Valentine was
born in Scotland He possessed to an
unusual degree the characteristic Scots
capacity for thrift and for wise eco
nomics which did not involve parsi-
mony
HIS GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
Probably the great achievement of
Mr.. Valentine is reflected in the per-
fecting of arrangements whereby the
beef packers of the United States vera
able to contemplate with some freedom
from anxiety the rapidly growing ten
dency of the farmers of the west to the
fence in the great ranches whereupon
cattle fed and to substitute agriculture
for stock raising. This was a tendency
which some of the leaders greatly de-
plored For instance, both James, J.
Hill-when president of the Great
Northern, and Howard Elliot when
president of the Northern Pacific com
pany-frequently urged those whom
they met at annual gatherings of farm
ers' clubs or state fairs in the north
west not to be exclusively occupied in
agriculture: Mr.. Hill pointed the way
by which farmers could utilize vast
stretches of good land for stock raising
declaring that they would find greater
profit in the raising of stock than in
the cultivation of grain, that is to say,
II there were fair diversification of
these industries.
1t was, however, in the far west and
southwest that the disposition of the
farmers to take up and fence in large
tracts OF land which had before been util-
lzed Tor stock feeding became so great as
seriously TO concern the packers. Mr.
valentine, in his association with large
financial interests In New York is re-
ported frequently to have said that the
time was not distance when these great
cattle ranches would be completely oc-
cupied by farmers occupied in agriculture.
therefore, unless something was done
the people of the United States would be
compelled to depend upon foreign coun-
tries for no small part of the meat they
each year.
What could be done Mr. Valentine hir-
self was the first to suggest. 1t Is possi- |
BILE that he may have received the first
hint of the opportunities which Argen-
tina offered to American capital for cat
tie raising from partner of the house |
of William r. Grace & Co.--Gerald Eyre. |
He was for time at Santiago, Chile and |
was suddenly summoned to New York |
city. After examining the steamship time |
tables, Mr.. Eyre learned, that he could |
reach New York if he took an ocean voy-
age 1000 miles farther than the ocean trip |
from Valparaiso to New York a week |
sooner than he would be able to If he |
sailed directly to New York from VAL |
railroad trip up the slopes of the Andes |
railroad trip up the sdlopes of the Andes |
and then a ride of 20 miles over the di- |
vide on the back of a mule. Upon the |
eastern slope of the Andes he would meet |
the terminal of the national railway OF |
Argentina and could by means of this |
road reach Buenos Aires in time to catch |
2 steamship whose destination was South