Texas Almanac, 1939-1940 Page: 236
This book is part of the collection entitled: Texas Almanac and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
236 THE TEXAS ALMANAC.-1939.
Industry in Texas, dependent upon the live-
stock industry. Packing plants were built in
Victoria and other South Texas cities at a
time when cattle were being driven over the
long trails to the northern markets. However,
it was not until 1901 that the two big packing
plants were established in Fort Worth. There
was large expansion of the meat-packing in-
dustry during 1938. The industry will expand
in the future with the increase in stock farm-
ing and the finishing of Texas cattle in Texas,
and the increase in swine raising.
Dairy Manufacturing Industry.
The greater industrial opportunity lies in
the dairy and poultry manufacturing indus-
tries. Notable in the dairying industry has
there been recent expansion. In 1928 first
cheese was manufactured in Texas. Prior to
that time it had been thought that manufac-
ture of this product in Texas was not prac-
ticable. In 1938 the production of Texas
cheese was over 19,646,000 pounds and there
were eighty-five factories. There has been a
very rapid development in the manufacture of
creamery butter, and condensed, evaporated
and powdered milk, ice cream and other
dairy products. Whereas the dairy products
manufacturing business was small in 1920, in
the early part of 1938 there were more than
250 establishments in the state, according to a
bulletin issued by the Bureau of Business
Research of the University of Texas. With its
mild climate, its abundant grass resources
and its soils for the production of feed crops,
there is limitless opportunity for expansion of
both the farming and the manufacturing ends
of the dairy business. The poultry-dressing
and packing industry has likewise expanded
in recent years and promises future growth.
There were increases in volume of cheese,
ice cream and butter production from 1937 to
1938, according to figures announced early in
1939 by the Bureau of Business Research.
Texas is the leading state in both produc-
tion and consumption of soft drinks, another
industry that has developed rapidly.
Minerals for Manufacturing Industry.
The state's mineral production is larger in
volume and value than the agricultural pro-
duction and scarcely less diversified. Because
of the greater weight per unit of volume that
characterizes minerals there has been more
rapid development of manufacturing processes
using these resources than in the instance of
the agricultural products. The processing of
such products as Portland cement, brick and
tile, lime and gypsum sheetrock and wall
board is usually done at source of raw mate-
rials. Petroleum is a more shippable product
and for many years there was a large move-
ment to out-of-state refineries, but in 1938
about 80 per cent of Texas crude went to
Texas refineries. Petroleum products ac-
counted for 40 per cent of the total value of
Texas manufactures in 1935, and it has been
the development of petroleum refining that
has contributed the largest share to the recent
increase in the total volume and value of
Texas manufactures.
New Resource Pattern.
The great potentiality of Texas mineral
resources for future development of manufac-
turing is found in the new chemical processes.
The older Industrial communities were usually
built on a coal-iron-limestone resource pat-
tern, and Texas has these resources in forms
that undoubtedly will be used in the future,
but there seemingly is better prospect for
building in Texas of the newer chemical
industries based-in so far as minerals are
involved--on oil and gas fuels, sulphur, car-
bon, lime, salt and other nonmetallic min-
erals, adaptable to the chemical industries.Especially when these are found available in
connection with cellulose, protein, vegetable
oils and the other agricultural products dis-
cussed in preceding paragraphs, do they con-
stitute basis for a varied manufacturing
industry. An outstanding example of what
the commonplace nonmetallic minerals of
Texas can mean to its industrial development
is found in the large alkali plant at Corpus
Christi built 'several years ago to manufac-
ture caustic soda, soda ash and allied mate-
rials, and more recently expanded to produce
commercial salt and liquid chlorine, utilizing
primarily natural gas, salt, limestone and
shell.
Importance of Gas Fuel.
Texas is the world's greatest producer of
sulphur, which is probably more widely used
in chemical industry than any other mineral.
In addition to this and the other nonmetallic
minerals mentioned above, there are mercury,
silver, lead, iron, manganese and other metals
that may play a role in the future industrial
expansion of the state. Late in 1938 there
was a revival of interest in East Texas iron
ores due primarily to new processes that may
make possible the smelting of iron ores with
petroleum and gas fuels. Gas fuel has already
been a large influence in bringing many in-
dustries to Texas and it is expected to be of
even greater importance in the future. In
the glass-making, enameling, kiln-processing
and many other industries gas is far more
desirable than any other form of fuel.
The zinc smelting industry in the Pan-
handle and the nation's only antimony plant,
at Laredo, both burn Texas gas, shipping
zinc and antimony ores, respectively, from
other states and Mexico.
Gas as a Manufacturers' Material.
The progress of chemical science has
opened avenues for utilization of natural gas
as an industrial raw material, as well as a
fuel, by "cracking" it into chemical mate-
rials to be used as the base for synthesized
products.
Heavy Goods Industries.
Although Texas has no source of pig iron of
its own, it has developed in recent years a
large foundry and machine shop and machin-
ery manufacturing business. The largest
branch of this is the oil well machinery and
supply manufacturing industry with some of
the largest plants of this kind in the world.
Texas manufacturers of oil field machinery
do a large export business.
Texas' ports and its connection with the
Mississippi River through the Intracoastal
Canal open the way for development of the
heavy industries in the future, those manu-
facturing machinery, equipment, building ma-
terials and other so-called durable goods.
There will also be rapid development of the
heavy chemical industries, which has been
started in the establishment of such plants as
the large alkali industry at Corpus Christi.
The future development of Texas manufac-
turing will see greatest progress of the heavy
industries along the coast with the consum-
ers' goods manufacturers developing in the
interior. However, the canalization of the
Trinity River would permit development of
heavy industry along this channel to the
Dallas-Fort Worth industrial area. (See index
for Inland Waterways.)
Building Material.
The diversity of resources for manufacture
of building materials also promise greater
expansion in the future. With its clays, gran-
ite, marble and other stone, materials for
manufacture of Portland cement, asphalt and
gypsum, available in quantity and quality,
the manufacture of construction materials
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Texas Almanac, 1939-1940, book, 1939; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117163/m1/238/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.