New-York tribune., 1919-11-08
Kansas City Makes
Greater Progress as
Industrial Center
Construction Of New Fac
tories Is Going Forward
Rapidly Despite the High
Cost Of Building Materials
Srrcia, Correspordencs

Special Correspondence
KANSAS CITY NOV. Long col
umns of new smokcstlcks have sprung
up here in the last year in the shadow
Of the great stockyards and packing
houses. They mark the great progress
The city is making toward Industrial
ism.
Men Of business here seem capti-
waited with the idea Of making the city
more self sufficient by the production
of additional articles to meet every
day needs. When the millon-dollar
plant OF the Kansas City Bolt and Nut
Company, now under construction, is
completed, this movement toward
diversified Industries will, it is felt
here. be facilitated greatly. The added
unit will be the first producer of steel
in this city. and by thus making an
essential semi-fiuished material avail
able Will throw open the field to manu-
facturers of agricultural Implements
mahcrs OF beds ard sccllaneouS lines
depending on steel
Since thc first Of the year 325 new
concerns have become established here
according TO the Kansas City Chamber
Of Commerce. Not all OF these have
been manufacturers. The city is still
an important lobbing center. although
the new trend is toward manufacturing
those commodities in which local men
have heretofore been the middlemon
only. The National Cloak and Suit
city to be we'll situated as q distribute
ing center, is now erecting a branch
here, at q cost OF $4,000 600, to care
for its Western business. which is now
handled through the home office. The
Sinclair Gulf and Refining Corporation.
whose home Office is also in New York
IS makirg a $1,000, 600 addition to its
nuge refinery on the Kansas side Of
greater Kansas City
Building Is Active
Unlike most of the cities of the East
which arc doforrng building on a
grand scale in the hope that the cost
of materials viii fall. Kansas Citv is
constructing factories and homes at
present at tho fastest rate in decade
During the war years building here. as
eNery"nerc, fell virtually to zero. but
local real estate operators to-day as
HSi'"u lt"t 'ncIr pNlld now Campa IGN
has led 20 more construction in the last
eight months than IN the previous seven
Years combined The argument that
those who talk Of significantly lower
prices speak dead ianguagc' an
Iealed TO the entorprising classes here
Apartment houses, a huge club. q hotel
Of 200 rooms under construction, in
eddltlon to tho nascent factories and
homes. illustrate this.
The stimulus for the present eco
monte activity came with the war. when
the normal channels of 'rtdc were up
rooted and the habits Of traders broken.
The congestion cf freight in the East
caused sufIoring here, and in the great
fanches, q thousand miles to the south
wcst and q thousand miles to the north
west. which get large share of their
supplies through jobbers here. Then,
too. the War Industries Board induced
an asavlng by business men IN this CITY
of the real potentialitios Of The district.
with the result that local business lead
ers hay" concluded that they can make
much OF what they sell. instead of buy
ing 1t in the East and roscling it, The
increased freight rates have made the
d'iGercntlai in favor of Kansas City
moro important, teo.
LARGEST Cattle Market
ana Y'' 10 IN" OUTSIDER Kansas City
IS still impressive chiefly in its trad-
tional role of bcing one Of the great
food CAPITALS Of the United States The
members Of the trade missions from
Great Britain, France. Italy and Bel
gium. who today reached here, in
spected the food enterprises. This is
tic furthest Western place in their
tour through Industrial America, and
the strolling of cattle through the busi-
nlses streets ard the Wild West show
staged this morning by the cowboys at
the stockvards cave a suggestion of
the tremendous REGIONS between this
landmarks and the mountains Of the Far
West
Kansas City is tho LARGEST market in
the world. it is said, for stock and
feeding cattle ard hogs, and is the sec
ond largest packing center in the
United States. Representatives Of both
phases of this industry report that
current business is far IN excess of The
unprecedented volume done q year agc
under the stimulus OF war needs re
care for the increased trade the Kansas
City Stock Yards Company has built c
rev foUr-StorY reinforced concrete hog
house. rcbuilt the cattle pens, rear
ranged main driving alleys aud con
structcd new viaducts.
In 1915 shipments Of stock and feed
ing cattle out Of the stockyards hcr,
amounted to l.0l5.S53 catt'e and 81 80.
calves, a new hgh record However
during the flrst scvcn months of TIN.
year that rate has been Greatly sur
passed. Seventy tiNc Thousand more
or 10 per cent, were shipped than dur
ing the corresponding period last year
I. :. Disbursements Smaller
ASHlNGTON. NOV. Disbursc
ments Of S576,3l9 ,2O5 by the govern
ment IN October we're the lowest in any
month since June, 1917, Secretary
rent deficit for the month was S8l9.
"39,i5o, the lowest for any month since
April, 1911, excluding months in which
income and prot, taxes were payable
Reserve Rank H,,vs Gold