Show Woods Cross Canning Notes Anniversary The Woods Cross Canning Co has Just finished its 1967 pack of tomatoes and although the season was somewhat short approximately employees place many tons of excellent tomatoes in the cans for Cor the host of consumers who prefer the Woods Cross brand A SURVEY IN the Greater Salt Lake area by the Deseret News and Tribune shows that 50 per cent of the consumers contacted prefer the Woods Cross brand of canned toma toma- toes The company is observing its anniversary this year In 1892 a group of local citizens built a factory in Woods Cross to provide work for Cor local citizens cit citizens citizens cit cit- and process fruits and vegetables grown in D Davis a vi s County THERE WERE more than stockholders man holding less I than 15 shares of stock costing 10 per share Records available available available avail avail- able show that early officers included Stearns Hatch James A. A Eldredge Richard String- String ham Plant superintendents den t s Joseph Wood C C. C CV V W. W Mann and M. M B B. B Mann The company took over the Clearfield Canning Company in 1912 and built a pea factory in Heber in 1917 IN 1929 A FIRE destroyed the processing plant at Woods Cross but operations continued at Clearfield and Heber The depression of 1930 however how how- ever caught the canning industry in industry industry in- in in Utah with a large I surplus of can caa goods The creditors of the Woods Cross Company decided to take over and liquidate the ass assets e t s. s A creditors creditor's committee was or organized organized organized or- or and R. R A. A Moss was appointed to represent a number number number num num- ber of the creditors In order to continue operations and avoid liquidation Mr Moss with the growers and a few employees organized three separate companies companies companies com com- Woods Cross Asparagus gus Co Woods Cross Clearfield Clearfield Clearfield Clear- Clear field Packing Co and the Woods Cross Heber Packing Co A GOVERN GOVERNMENT MENT age agency n c y lc the growers the seed the key employees invested part of their wages and the growers growers growers grow grow- ers entered into a contract with 1 the leasing company on a cooperative co- co I operative basis Mr Moss l acted as president and manager of the three leasing companies and as manager of the Woods Cross Canning Co Angus Stevens Secretary and Wilford Superintendent of factories THE LEASING companies paid all expenses of the operation operation operation opera opera- tion including insurance taxes repairs and improvements or additions to the factories and I 20 per case for all cases racked packed By 1936 the creditors were all satisfied and the leasing companies turned the plants back to the main company The growers and e employees mp were well paid and the main company's company's company's com com- pany's financial needs we were r e handled by one bank THE CANNING industry in Utah has not been able to ex expand expand ex- ex in fact out of state competition competition competition com com- petition weather conditions subdivisions and lack of labor on the farms have g greatly rea tl y reduced the number of factories in Utah In 1919 there were 36 operating op operating operating op- op factories in 1931 44 in 1936 36 in 1941 17 in 1962 14 and in 1967 there are eight IN DAVIS COUNTY the there r e- e were six operating plants at atone atone atone one time now there is one the Woods Cross plant at Clear- Clear field The company's factory at Heber closed a few years ago for lack of or acreage The dairy industry s see seemed e e m e d more at attractive attractive attractive at- at to the growers there Because of the short shortage ge of labor in Utah canners have had to spend large sums of money to replace men and women with automatic equipment MACHINES MACHIN ES ARE now used from the planting of the vines to the peeling of tomatoes A Afew Afew Afew few years back 16 items of fruits and vegetables les were paced by bythe bythe the Woods Cross Co Now I the items amount to only about half that number However ef efforts efforts efforts ef- ef forts are made to use the full capacity o of the plant for toma toma- toes The area of North Davis produces a quality of tomatoes unequaled anywhere eI Officers in charge in re recent recent recent re- re cent years have included O. O W. W Moyle Sr deceased Glen GlenA A A. A Hatch deceased R. R A. A Moss 0 O. O W W. W Moyle J. J W. W Hatch Robert E E. E Moss G. G S. S Hatch and V. V E E. E Moss in charge of production I |