The Grange advance., 1874-06-17
6r. PAUL CITY.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Commerce Monday morning Messrs. r.
". johnson, G. D. Gilfillan, G. A John
son, VIM. Lee and T. J. Barney report.
ed that they had visited the cement
pipe works Of Messrs. Burnham &
Jones on Nash street, near Mississippi
street, and found large establishment
with twenty thousand dollars capital
invested. The works are in full opera
ton, making sewer pipes, round and
oval in shape, up to 30 inches in diam.
eter, and we'll curbs up to three feet in
diameter. The committee recommend
the pipes as superior to similar articles
imported from other States. The re.
port was adopted.
TANNING LEATHER.
Messrs. G. D. Gil6llan, T. J. Bar.
ney, R. w. Johnson, J. G. Terry, J. W.
McC!ung, E. NJ. Hollowell and Tru-
man N. Smith, from the committee
appointed to examine Col. Gillespies'
communication relative to tanning
leather by the use Of tannin instead of
bark, submitted report OF which the
following are extracts:
The amount of leather tanned and
curried and skins dressed in the United
States in one year, Q869), as appears
by the L. S. census report. for 1870,
aggregated upwards of $157, 100000 in
value. 1t is fair to presume, if this
manufacturing was equally appor
toned, the allotted share Of St. Paul.
the distributing centre Of 100000 peo
pie, would be upwards of $2,00O,O 900
The report Of your Secretary for 1873
shows that the amount of leather sold
in St. Paul, by jobbers alone, for the
previous year, in the shape of boots
and shoes, harness, leather and shoe
findings exceeded the sum of $780,.
600. TO this may be added the
amounts purchased by retail dealers
directly from the East. estimated at
$500, ,0c0, making TIE total amount of
leather sold in this market, in its sim.
pie state and manufactured form,
$2,00o,0oo.
If tanning material can be had at an
equally reasonable rate with the East,
there should be no hesitancy on the
part OF capitalists embarklng in the
business. Tie raw.hide from the time
it is purchased in St. Paul to the time
of its return in the shape Of leather
usually passes through the hands of
six different parties, each of whom
must levy commission. The amount
OF these commissions, together with
the freight and insurance, would equal
q large and remunerative profit for the
manufacturer who here would make
them all.
Your committee earnestly express
the hope that parties may be induced
to start mandatory of leather at
this point, believing that there is not
equally as favorable a point in the
United States for the purpose.
Col. Gillespie, who was present,
said they had had tannery in success.
full operation at Lincoln, Nebraska. for
the last eighteen months. The article
which they used grew in great profu.
sion in the Missouri Valley. It twas
cut and cured like hay and yielded five
or six tons to the acre. One ton
would make 800 pounds of extract.
The cost Ct making the extract was
half cent per pound. He thought 1t
was destined to revolutionize the tan.
ming business.
Messrs. Hiram Rogers and IT. J.
Barney were appointed committee to
conrer with Mr.. Gillespie and see If it
was pra cticable to engage in the bust.
nees here.
THAT sHAD.
r. 0. Sweeny read the following ex.
tract from q letter received from
! Spencer T. Baird, U. s. Fish Commits
sioner:
! The fish is a well.known spe cies oi
thesherring family and no hybrid. !. It
is sometimes called the fall herring or
fall shad and on the Potomac is called
the Tailor from its resemblance to the
salt water Tailor or the blue fish in the
State of New York vernacular. 1t is a
well known inhabitant OF the Missis'
sippi system of waters as well as those
OF the Atlantic. LISA very inferior
! hsh as compared with the shsd. It's