The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-05-30

Twine.
The committee sent east by Gov
Merriam to investigate the twine
manufacturing interests at New York
and Patterson, N. j., returned last
week Wednesday.
The GREAT WEST had stated that
Messrs. Norrish and Temple would
not go, and that hence there would
be no full report of the committee.
Whether this statement stirred up
matters or not, Mr.. Temple did go,
and Mr.. O'Brien went in place of
Mr.. Norrish.
The committee visited the works
Mr.. Todd, at Patterson, and found
the facts to be precisely as stated in
the Central Minnesotian" a year
ago. in commenting on the report OF
the commission of that year. If any
thing the report is still better. 1t
has not been published at this writ
ing (Monday, 26th inst.,) but may
appear before press day. However,
Mr.. Cheyne, the representative of the
Todd Works has been in the City,
and has held a long consultation
with this journal
The daily papers were mistaken in
stating that Mr.. Cheyne was the
agent Of the Dolphin Mills. These
mills are in the Twine trust, and j..
C. Todd, Twine Manufacturer, and
Twine Machine builder, is not in the
trust.
The fact is clearly demonstrated
that twine plant can be put into
the penitentiary at an initial cost of
ST., ,OOO-and two systems or out
fits for $35, 900. Other changes and
expenses would probably run the ex-
pense up to $4,000 for two systems
in place and geared to the power.
The cost of twine thus produced
would average about six cents per
pound.
If the state does not put in a plant
it will go hard with the officials and
the legislature-that is all.
There is one thing, however, which
encourages the Alliance agitators-
this stirring up the animals has al
ready dropped the price OF all kinds
of twine fully three cents. There are,
however, some very cheap grades OF
twine which will hardly do to use
One specimen OF cheap twine has been
offered us which would be dear at
any price.
AS to what will constitute the
bulk Of the report we are not at lib
erty to state, although it will GER
tainly present the desirability of using
the prison and convict labor. It will
be trife hard for Messrs. Temple
and O'Brien to take back that stu
pendous fraud of last year-but they
will be compelled to do so.
In regard to this mat ter, species
of milk weed has been sent us by Mr..
Ball, of Rushford, which grows wild
in nearly every state. A few fibres,
from a last years stalk, stripped up
by hand, are fine and white and
strong, and the stems are not only
rich in fibre, but ale very tall!
These few fibres, twisted simply by
the fingers into a string two feet
long and one-thirty second of an inch
in thickness, are too strong to be
broken by hand-and of a smooth,
glistening, silky surface. If Mr.. Ball
will send us a few leaves on a young
stem, and a young root, we will an
alyse it and have it engraved for the
GREAT WEST, together with COM
ments on the lignin, and the cortex
to be removed by the "retting" pro-
cess. It is said that this tall, slender
milkweed grows generally over the
state, and we will, as soon as pos
sible, see that some farmers raise
some Tor experiment.
OF all the native weed fibres pre-
sented for examination the past two
years, this is by far the strongest,
finest and smoothest. Perhaps the
Twine trust will have served a good
purpose in driving people to study
of the unused advantages lying
about us.
He Wants to Know?