Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-11-14
ASKOV TALKS
CANN|NGPLANT.
Boiled Dinner Equipment
Seems Goal for New
Project.
j. E. Barr, St. Cloud Gamer,
Well Received at
ASkOV.

What has been a slow, steady un-
dercurrent of sentiment for the past
few years in favor of the establish
ment of a canning factory at Askov,
came to the surface Monday night at
the d. B. S. hall and gained momen-
tum with the force of large and en-
thusiastic audience behind it.
For the past few weeks committee
composed of Christ Larsen, Louis Oh
sen and Anton Gravesen, chosen from
the ranks of the Askov Community
club, have been working on plans to
establish such a plant in Askov and
the meeting Monday night was the
result ]. E. Barr of the J. E. Barr
Packing Corporation of st. Cloud, and
N. E Kass of Minneapolis, were pres
ent and both spoke, the former on the
canning industry and the latter on
organization.
1t was decided by the meeting that
the same committee which has been
working on the project should further
arrange plans of organization and to
canvass for shareholders with shares
being set at 500 each. After this
committee has attained the desired
end and when it sees fit to do so, it
is to call another meeting and COM
plete the organization.
Two Plans of Organization.
One plan Mr.. Barr offered to the
Askov canning organization was that
of raising the required amount by the
sale of 500 shares in the community
to pay for the erection and equipping
of the plant and enough working cap
ital for the first year, which alto
gether will require the approximate
total of $4,000. ]. E Barr will per-
sonally subscribe for $4,000 worth of
shares in this plan of organization
and will personally manage the enter
prise using the Barr packing corpora
tion-iabels and sales facilities for dis
posing of the canned product. He will
of course control the label and man.
age the business. In setting the APP
proximate cost for his services and for
the use of the Barr label and sales
organization, Mr.. Barr estimated the
cost at approximately per cent.
The other plan which was offered to
the Askov project by Mr.. Barr was
the privilege of raising the same
amount of stock in the same manner
and then to join the ]. E. Barr Pack
ing Corporation, getting in return Z
per cent on their shares invested.
This plan was recommended by Mr..
Barr as being the most economical
and safest because of its requirement
of only one bookkeeping force and
other problems such as, for instance
if the crop should be poor in one To-
cality, another with good crops also
being a part of the organization could
hold up the output and thus stabilize
the profits year after year.
Crops would be contracted in
either event and a good average price
would be paid each year and the grow
ers would know just exactly what they
would get for the produce they raised,
Mr.. Barr said, and would not have to
contend with price fluctuation that
some years gave them higher prices
and other years left them without
profit.
st. Cloud Business Grows.
Andrew j. Larsen, chairman of the
AskOv Community club, called the
meeting to order and introduced Mr..
Barr who told of starting in the dill
pickle canning business in st. Cloud
in 1910 in a building of 14x2O dimen-
sions and with the prOphesy of several
that he could not make it." Today
the Barr packing plant reaches three
blocks and partly occupies both sides
of the street with a total annual ca
pacity of approximately 100000 cans
selling for gross total of about
$1,00O,000. The corporation has on
their staff of growers 1900 farmers
who raise varied crops of peas, pota-
toes, onions, cabbage, beets, carrots,
etc. He says the secret of the success
of his industry is the fact that he has
always made it a point to guarantee
his transactions whether it be buying
from the grower or selling the fin.
ished product.
Askov Plant Could Pack $4,000 Cases.
In speaking of the possibilities of
the Askov project, Mr.. Barr said that
the capacity of the plant/which was
proposed would be approximately
$4,000 cases the first year with a gross
profit of about $4,000 and suggested
that the New England boiled dinner
would be the best product to start
canning as a pea factory would cost
in the proximity of 100000. The
boiled dinner will contain the vege-
tables that are raised here the best,
Mr.. Barr said. rutabagas, carrots, po-