The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-28
THE JUTE TRUST DYING.
ITS TIME OF LIFE RESTRICTED TO
THE FIRST OF JANUARY.
After That There is Not Likely To 30
Any Attempt Made to Resuscitate or
Revive It-substitutes for Jute in De-
mand.

which the corner was made, the present
season, but hardly beyond that, as was am
ticipated, as the best satisfied people in
the business are those outside the COM
bine. The people in the corner have
made money but not nearly as much as
the public has imagined, aud not as much
as they expected to make when they Sc
cured the agreements and purchased the
mills which made the squeeze possible.
Speaking of the controversy over substi-
tutes for bagging, yesterday, and particu.
larry of the pine needle fiber, out of which
an enterprising North Carolina opponent
OF trusts has succeeded in making bagging,
MIR. Douglass Murray, secretary OF the st.
Louis Begging company, said:
81 do not believe substitutes will be
talked OF much next year. or that they
will be OF much importance II seems TO
be q very difficult matter To get a good
substitute for jute, but still we must be
prepared for them, and il one should bc
found right now, cheap and strong, and in
other ways satisfactory, II would meet
with great deal OF favor. There is a very
strong prejudice in some parts OF the cot
ton country against jute bagging or any
thing composed OF jutc, and good first
class substitute would have all this in its
favor. ! have heard OF instances in TeNns
where planters refuse TO use iute or
anything into which jutc enters at
any price. There are also mum.
Der Of wealthy planters all over the
cotton country who have stored
their cotton away in sheds in tho seed, in
preference 10 paying present prices for
bagging. But, speaking of surprises and
this pine needle fiber packing, mentioned
in the Globe Democrat this should prepare
us Tor anything. never imagined there
WAS any liber about the pine needle, but
here IL Is, rs you can see. | have received
several samples Of IL, aud lind il very
strong and just us easily worked, evil
IDENTIFY, as jutc. The selling price is
too high, about the combine price
for jute, - cents yard, but | pre-.
sumo il can be- greatly chcapcned. ~
further experiments are made. With this
accomplished, there would he but one oh.
lection that | can see, aud that is the dan.
ger Of staining the cotton. To test this,
placed some OF the pine fiber in glass Of
water. and found that II turned the liquid
as black as ink. This may, however, be
remelicd by putting the ibcr through
some chemical or washing process, TO cx.
tract the color II not, the lault will be
fatal one, us cotton IN being shipped is
very liable 10 become damp and wet, in
which ease It is certain 90 stain That was
the trouble with FAX packing, which We
made for some time, but stopped when We
found II would bc too expensive after the
color had been removed
Questioned as TO bagging for the moving
oil the cotton now stored away in sheds, In
preference b paving high prices for julc.
Mr. Murray said he thougliif the planters
had patience to hold ON sixty days they
could get all the bagging they need for
considerably less than the combine price,
say cents.
''Wo have large quantity oi juic." lac
said, "and there arc large stocks la New
York. 50 that there need DO no difficulty
IN manufacturing. We have q capacity Of
I,OJO, 900 yards year, one-clcventh OF the
amount required for Z, 100000 bale crop
OF cotton, and We propose TO start up full
force ON January !. Tho agreements un.
der which the various mills closed down
will then expire, aud they will all be free
10 go ahead.
"will this agreement not DO rcnowcjg"
wis asked.
"Not much" was the somewhat en-
phnlic reply: land don't believe there
will be any attempt 10 run u combine ~
trust next year. our company would
mover have gone into the agreement a.
close the mills II Il had been known that q
combine such rs has developed had been
contemplated. The situation ut the tine
the agreement was made was such ~ 10
make such a thing possible. There was
heavy surplus lcit from last years manu-.
iacturc, and the idea was 10 get rid Of
this"
The only profit, then. for the mills tied
upby the agreement aud outside OF the
combine was the advanced price on the
surplus.
That's about all. The pcoolc who
worked the combine have not succeeded
~ they might have, though"
Can you form an estimate Of the prof
lis II the combine
"Not easily. They have made money.
but not M much a. they arc credited with
by the public Still they have made
money, counting the lease OF some Of the
mills aud the purchase OF others, but IL
would be difficult 10 do the same thing
again. While ! cannot form any idea OF
their profits, am very we'll satisfied that
they have supplied hut about onc-half Of the
amount required, aud will be left with a
surplus for next season. Within
the last month the forces OF the combine
mills have been reduced and mills run but
five days out Of week. They will, I'M
dentand, close down the last Of this month.
| Gala s..sl L..
outside Of the agreement which made the
combine possible, one located nj Boston.
has run 10 It's full capacity, and selling Just
below the combine price, has had orders
for all IL could manufacture. This mill has
n capacity Of about 1000, 900 yards 81 bag.
ging year, aud II had largr surplus q
begin with. II has, Of course had prefer
cnrc over combine mills, oven, In some
sections, nj the samc prices, Then there
~ another mill In Columbus, Ca, which
would only sign an agreement 10 shut
down after Il had TUNED out certain
amount Of bagging That Il, Of course,
| did"
The agreement referred 10 by Mr.. Muf.
ray was, Il will be- seen, the life blood ol
the combine. II seems 10 have been a
| hidden trap, out u which the mill owners
generally made ~ much as they would
have II all the mills In the country had
been running unrestricted, while the com.
binc made q great deal more. The result,
however. Is that the surplus carried owl
for next seasons cotton crop IL mainly in
the hands Of the combine, while Others
or agreement mills, will start out will
clean hands. The statement that 70.
ncwal Of the agreement Is all but inpOssi
bic Il made with full knowledge Of M,
condition 81 trade In general. Tie state