The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-23
The Canning
Factory Question
Secretary Reardon Of the
Chamber of Commerce
Gives Out Letter From
Gamer

The parties with whom the SUM-
ter County Chamber of Commerce
has beer in correspondence about
the establishment OF canrlns fac-
tory in Sumter have written to m
quire whether some local STOCK
will be taken in such an enterprise,
and the following from their letter
is given out by Secretary Reardon
for public information and in or
der to find out if the business men
of Sumter and the farmers Of
Sumter county want canning fac
tory Of this size badly enough TO
help finance same and TO guaran-
tee to plant sufficient tomatoes,
okra, sweet potatoes, string beans.
peas, etc. to keep such an enter
prise going practically tw "
months Of the year.
The out of town parties who now
own and operate large and sue
cessful canning factory with All es-
tablished business and established
reputation on their goods, write in
part:
Il am figuring on a business that
will pack about five hundred cases,
% cans each, Of canned goods daily,
and would expect TO put in, say 100
days on okra and tomatoes. one
hundred days on sweet potatoes,
and there are a lot Of other goods
such as pork and beans, string
beans, peas, ETC., that would occupy
the remainder Of the year, so that
the factory could be kept running
practically all Of the yaer. There
is now q great demand for okra
and tomatoes, which are scarce.
Can tomatoes be grown success
fully in your locality. If they can
be grown successfully on a small
scale, they can with the same care
and attention be grown largely.
Okra you need not inquire about as
okra will grow anywhere the seed
falls, anywhere that cotton and
corn will grow. Sweet potatoes will
grow anywhei, The main inquiry
is tomatoes.
"Can assurance be given that
I three hundred to four hundred
acres of tomatoes could be guaran-
teed for term OF years, the price
to be paid for them being the same
as the farmers in the tomato sec
tions of Maryland and Virginia
contract for each year. A price on
okra would be agreed upon that
would be profitable to the farmers.
rs there a building available
suitably located, preferably ada
cent to railroad; or is there such a
site available upon which suitable
building could be erected, and how
can it be obtained. 1t will require
! capital of fifty to sixty thousand
dollars to finance such an enter
prise. How much of this can be
raised by sale of stock"
That a canning factory sufficient
ly large to handle many hundreds
of acres Of tomatoes, okra, sweet
potatoes, string beans, peas, etc.,
or better still several canning fac
tories that will handle thousands of
acres of these farm products is
what Sumter and Sumter county
needs-the canning factories work
ing we'll with milk COW on prac-
tically every farm and big cream
cry or if necessary, several cream
cries, and with sufficient hogs,
chickens, eggs, wheat, beef and
corn meal, grist, molasses and
syrups, and other live at home"
products made and sold in Sumter
county to feed Sumter county, no
one will doubt.
The question of excessive freight
! rates on grain is one Of vital i'm
portance to the farmers Of this sec
ton because shipping rates make
shipping Of surplus corn and other
grain improbable. This matter is
being taken up by the Sumter
Chamber OF Commerce with the
railroads for possible adjustment.
The question Of canning fac
tory being now handled from two
angles of'local capital and local in
fluence should be- pushed to rapid
completion. There need be no con-
fict between the Young Mems Bus
mess League and the Sumter Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce in the
canning factory matter. The two