Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-05-09
TwINE TRUST FoILED.
Complete and Effective solution of
the All-absorbing Irvine Question.

From tho Quincy, en- Wing. April
IA. A representative Of The Wing dis
covered an appliance yesterday which
promises to play avery important part
In tho fight which tho farmers Of the
west and northwest are making against
the twine trusts and combinations.
During tho past five or six years twine
has come into universal use for binding
grain. Irvine binders are now used on
nearly every harvesting machine and
the demand for Irvine has increased
enormously Unfortunately for the
farmer, all the materialused In making
Irvine, sisal and MANILA, is grown in
foreign countries, To get 1t to Ameri-
ca requires from four TO six months
time, involving large expense, and the
machinery used In the process OF man
ufacture is covered with patents. IL
has been an easy matter for the twine
manufacturers TO effect combinations
and to steadily advance prices TO u
point which Is unreasonable and un-
just.
But the farmers of tho entire north
west have robellod against these trusts.
Farmers alliances evorywhere arc hold
ing meetings to devise waysand means
for thwarting tho combinations. In
several OF tho statcs this matter has
been brought TO tho attention OF tho
legislatures, and bills are now pending
calculated TO bring relief TO the farm
ers. In tho Illinois legislature, Senator
Chapman has introduced bill proyid-
ing that tho manufacture Of twine shall
be undertaken in tho poniteutiarios OF
the state, SO that tho farmers may not
be obliged to buy dollars worth from
the trusts.
In fighting the twine monopoly the
farmers are confronted by very serious
obstacles. Complicated machinery Is
required TO mako Irvine and tho equip
ment Of n factory involves heavy ex-
penditures. Enormous quantities OF
Irvine are required to supply the de-
mand, rs the wheat crop of the country
has increased 250, 900, 900 bushels since
the introduction OF twino binders.
While the demand for Irvine Is con-
stantly increasing, tho crop OF fiber
manilla--has boon short for tho past
two years, and IL has been no difficult
matter for importers to secure control
OF the raw material and advance prices
Irvine Is now six cents higher than il
has formerly been sold for and the
prices which ought to DO asked for
it. To establish and equip anti-mono-
poly factories for making IL would re-
quire large amount Of capital and
even then the Independent manufacture
ers would be confronted by the trusts
which control tho raw material.
Several OF tho farmers alliances I'D
vocate the abandonment Of binding
machinery until tho twine trust can DO
brought to terms. The farmers gener-
ally do not take kindly TO this sugges-
ton, however, stating that helps scarce
and IL would DO almost impossible To
harvest their crop by hand; further
more the waste Of loose grain would
more than counterbalanco the amount
saved by discarding Irvine, oven at
present prices.
While driving down from La Grange
yesterday n representative OF The Wing
noticed u harvesting machine working
in the tall sodge grass along tho Mis-
sissippi bottoms. Curiosity led TO nm
investigation. The men who were
operating the machine were ut first
not disposed to furnish any informa-
ton, but careful inquiry developed
several very important facts which
will have much TO do with affording a
complete solution of the Irvine trust.
The machine was Mccormick self
hinder, exactly such rs is used on 200,-
900 farms in this country, except for
one slight change. 1t was supplied
with a simple device, whereby wire in
stead Of twine was used for binding.
This device has recently been perfected
and is now being thoroughly tested.
The men who were operating the ma
chine yesterday stated that they had
been at work with ii in the field for
several weeks, cutting and binding tall
sedge grass, and the most thorough
tests had failed to reveal a single defect.
In fact IL works to perfection. IL has
tied acres without miss, and Is, II
possible, more certain than Irvine
would be under tho same conditions.
This Improvement weighs five pounds.
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