The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-27
WARDEN WOLFER MAKES AN IN
TERESTING REPORT TO THE


ST. PAUL, Feb. 20.-In response to Sena-
tor Sperry's resolution, asking for full in
formation relating to the operation of the
state binding Irvine plant at Saltwater, the
warden, Henry Wolfer, transmitted his re-
port, Which was presented to the senate
today In connection with the report Is
tabulated statement of the expense of run
ming the plant The report says:
"Over one-half of the amount of twine-
manufactured during the year ended July
81, 1893, was carried over, owing to the
unfavorable conditions caused by the de-
moralized condition of the Irvine market
This amount. together with the manufac-
tured product of the year ending July 81,
1884, was placed on the market last season
In order to meet all necessary competition
and effect a clearance Of the entire product
without any unnecessary loss to The state,
the board of managers adopted such meas
ures as they deemed necessary to accom-
plish this end. The fact that nearly the
entire product was disposed of under con-
d1tions favorable and satisfactory to
sumers, and with such small loss to the
state is proof that the best interest of all
concerned was wisely conserved.
The management has been obliged to
sell large proportion of the Irvine manu-
featured in this prison time A re-
fusal to so accommodate would unquestion-
ably have necessitated the closing down Of
the Irvine plant long ago, with a large
stock of unsold Irvine left hand. An
unusually large amount of Irvine was sold
on time LnlS last season, consequent upon
conditions heretofore mentioned conse-
quently our uncollected balance at this
time of the season is much larger than in
former years, but considering the hard
times and the difficulty in making collec-
tionS in all lines of business l think we
have collected fairly well. The whole
amount of bad debts on our books from the
beginning of the operation of the Irvine
plant up to the present season will not
exceed $1,000 The uncollected balance out
a frn1 Ia cf ar cole iC Inh
shape that the percentage of loss from bad
debts will be very small Some of them,
however, will have to be carried over I'M
til next fall.
LAS to the matter of advising the legisla-
ture whether, in view of all the facts, the
legislature should continue and enlarge up
on the work of manufacturing Irvine in the
prison, l would respectfully suggest that if
it is the policy of the legislature to continue
the manufacture of Irvine at all, there can
be no question but that the best interests
of the state and all others concerned will
be best subserved by putting in system
of hard fiber machinery as soon as possible
We have been obliged to compete with hard
fiber Irvine under great disadvantages for
the past three years. The price of hard
fibers, sisal and MANILA, has steadily de-
clined, while the market price of hemp to-
day is higher than it was three years ago
This unfavorable condition, from the pres
ent outlook, bids fair to continue. A good
system of long line machinery would enable
the state to manufacture Irvine under con-
ditons equally favorable with outside
factories. There is, you will notice,
uneXpended balance of 49, $50. 50 of the old
Irvine plant appropriation still available
and now in the hands Of the state treasurer
1t would require additional appropriation
of not more than $4,000 to put in a system
of hard fiber machinery to manufacture
siSal and MANILA in twne with a capacity
of from 1000 to 10000 pounds per day. We
cannot continue to manufacture hemp tWine
and compete with sisal and MANILA without
an increasing loss to the state. This is the
only soft fiber factory in operation in
the United States. All of the others gave
up the unequal contest two years ago.
THE manufacture Of Irvine does not fur
nish the prisoners with employment that
will enable them to learn a trade at which
they can earn an honest living upon
their discharge from prison. This furnishes
a serious objection to it prison indus
try, yet the force of argument in favor
of it's continuance, on the other hand be-
cause of it's benefit to large class of our
taxpayers appears to justify the continu-
ance of this industry, at least to moderate
degree. The board of managers, in its BIZ
ennial report 20 the governor, recommend
ed the purchase of long line machinery,
provided it the policy of the state to
continue the manufacture of Irvine as a
prison industry