Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-02-02
Annual Meeting Of the Northwestern
Flax observation-disclosures and Man
ufaeture Of Flax--Memorial to Con-

SEeSS.
From the Cleveland Herald, Jan. 81
The first annual meeting of the North
western Flax association was held in one
of the Kennard House parlOrs on We'd
nesday, The meeting convened at half
past ten O'Clock with a good attendance,
| Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and
Wisconsin being represented. The As
ISOLATION was called TO order by the
President, Hon. A. d. Kibbee, of West
Pennington, Ohio. A verbal report of
the condition of the Association was
made by the Secretary, j.. NJ. Allen, of
Cardington, Ohio. The report contains
nothing of special interest, except that
the affairs of the society are in a satisfac-
tory condition.
On motion of ]. B. Lyon, OF Cleveland,
the following committee on permanent
organization was appointed: j. b. Lyon,
| Cleveland; D. w. Camp, Warren, Ohio;
Stephen Case, Garfield, Ohio. The COM
mittee withdrew for a short time, when
they reported the following: President,
| Hon. A. d. Kibbee, of West Pennington;
Secretary and Treasurer, J. NJ. Allen, of
| Cardington.
At the request of the meeting the COM
mittee again withdrew and reported the
following: THAT the name of this or
ganization shall be the Northwestern
Flax Association"
1t was also recommended that there be
an executive committee of five. The
following names were submitted for that
committee: ]. Spielman, Belmont, Wis
consin; W. a. Brownelle. Rochelle, Illi-
nois; j. c. Kurtz, Wooster, Ohio; NJ.
w. Mather, Union City, Indiana; ]. G.
Calender, Milton, Ohio. The report of
the committee was adopted.
Committees were appointed as follows,
to report at the afternoon session:
/ On Resolutions. NJ. Halves, of Del
aware, Ohio; John /. Douglass, st. Louis,
Mo-; w. A. Brownelle, Rochelle, Ili-
nOis J.. Spileman, Belmont, Wisconsin;
J.. G. Calender, Milton, Ohio.
On Finance-John Hinde, Cuyahoga
Falls, Ohio; William Raven, Girard,
Ohio; o. L. WolcOtt, West Harrington,
Ohio; A. Randall, Rockford, Illinois;
Linus Ely, Alliance, Ohio.
The meeting then adjourned to two
o'clock P. NJ.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The convention reassembled at the
hour specified and was called TO order by
the President. Reports of committees
were called for, and Mr.. Douglass, chair
man of the committee on resolutions, re-
ported the following:
Whereas. There is grown in the western
n northwestern States a vast quantity of
fax, which has been heretofore grown main
ly for the seed, there being no market for
the fibre; and
Fhereas, Within the last two or three years
there has been springing up a demand for
Flax Tow to be used in the manufacture of
bags, baggings, etc, II IL was not for the fear
Of legislation by Congress, adverse to such
Whereas, The manufacture of baggings,
etc. here at the west furnishes the only mar
keJ which is now afforded to fax tow, and
this demand for fax tow creates a demand
for fibre, thus furnishing a market to the
farmer for that product which he has now TO
burn in order 10 get rid Of it; therefore
Resolved, That the object Of this Associa-
ton shall be to take such measures as VIII
best tend to the fostering of this great west
ern interest. |
Resolved, That believing that the adoption
by Congress of the recommendation OF Com
missioner Wells that the duty on gunny
cloth be reduced TO one cent per pound,
would seriously cripple, If it did not totally
destroy, the fax interest of the West, this
Association does most earnestly protest
against said recommendation and call upon
members of Congress from the West and
northwest 10 use their Influence TO prevent
any change in the present duty on gunny
cloth.
Resolved, That the President. Vice Presi-
dent and Secretary be appointed a Commit
tee to gather facts relating to the growth,
PREPARATION and manufacture of a. which
facts shall be embodied by the Committee in
a memorial 10 Congress.
The resolutions were unanimously
The Finance Committee reported in
of a membership fee of five dollars
md IN annual tax not exceeding the
same amount, such assessment to be paid
on notice of the Secretary.
The following memorial, prepared by
Messrs. Jerome and Dement,, was readto
the convention, and on motion of Mr..
Douglass it was endorsed as the n of
he Association, and ordered to be print
ed with the other proceedings:
To the Honorable, the Senate and House
of Representatives, in Congress assem-
bled:
The undersigned, manufacturers of
fax bagging in the State of Illinois re-
specially represent.
That in the State of Ohio, Indiana, Hi
nois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota,
five hundred thousand acres of flax
are grown for the seed.
That up to, and including the veal
1866, nineteen-twentieths of the fibre
produced by this five hundred thousand
acres of fax, amounting to about n
hundred and twenty-five million pounds,
wasted for want of market.
That in that year the undersigned, in
dueed by the high price of imported bag
ging (gunny CLOTH used for covering cot
ton bales, believing that this refuse flax
fibre could be manufactured and used in
its stead, and also believing that the
amount of revenue required to pay
the interest on the public debt would
preclude any Reduction of the duty on
gunny cloth, expended a large amount
Of money in procuring and perfecsing
for manufacturing covering
for cotton bales out of tangled fax fibre.
That they have this machinery in sue
cessful operation, and have erected mills
in different localities for supplying their
with stock, of sufficient ca
pacity to consume the product of ten
thousand acres of flax per year, and at an
aggregate cost of machinery and build
of seventy-five thousand dollars, {
and giving employment 10 about one
hundred operatives.
That other parties have expended large
sums of money in procuring suitable
machinery and buildings foF the purpose
Of manufacturing bagging for covering
cotton bales out of the same refuse fibre
Of fax. /,
That twelve to fifteen such bagging
mills are now in operation in the State of
Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri,
a capital of more than n
dollars, furnishing a market for
fifty to se~Eenty-fEe thousand tons of raw
material heretofore wasted, end employ
for fifteen hundred to two thousand
operatives, largely women and children,
whose labor but for these mills would be
lost.
The proportion of such factories put in
operation the past year, is so large that
heir aggregate capacity cannot now be
given, but can be arrived at approximate
" from the fact that the importation of
yunny clOth-the only foreign manufac-
5ure used for covering cotton-gaS but
million yards in 1869, while the en-
ire amount of bagging used to cover the
of cotton grown in 1869 cannot be
less han twenty million yards
That the manufacture of domestic bag
ying having reduced the importation of
cloth from seventy-fve thousand
BALES in 1869, to five thousand bales in
1859, it is safe to assume that the increase
the homs production will, if the pres
mt duty on foreign bRgging is retained,
squal any increased production Of cotton;
that the five hundred thousand acres
If flax now produced will furnish raw
material enough to cover six million
bales of cotton, an amount greater b
has eYer yet been grown in this coun-
ry.
That the interest of of bag
ying will be better protected by cOntinu-
ng the present duty on gunny cloth, and
fostering the home manufacture,
S shown by the fact that, in the face of
decreased impOrtations, the price
Of gunny cloth has fallen from thirty
cents per yard, at st. Louis, in
LS66, when no flax bagging was made, to
twenty cents in $50, while the fact