The San Francisco call., 1896-10-14
WHY THE MILL
RAN BEHIND
The San Quentin Factory
as a Victim of Free
Trade.
Governor Budd's Criticisms
Arouse the Ire of the
Superintendent.
A TARIFF OBJECT LESSON.
Even Convict Labor Cannot Stand the
Stress of Cheap Cody
Competition.
A TARIFF OBJECT LESSON.

The criticisms of Governor BIdd upon
the output of the iute mills at San Quen-
tin has aroused the ire OF Superintendent
John Rutherford. He says that the mil
is doing as well as can be expected, and
were the old duty on grain bags again in
force the mill would once more become 6
paying institution.
Formerly there was duty of ~ cents
on each grainbag that came into this port
San Quentin made bags were then selling
for 4 2-10 cents, or 2-10 cents over the
cost of the jute that was used in their
manufacture. The duty kept out foreign
bags, and the supply and demand were
well adjusted.
But when the Wilson tariff bill passed
and the protecting IA cents was taken
from foreign bags Calcutta Immediately
began to flood the market. Indian grain
bags came over by the million, the market
was overstocked, prices went every way.
and not being able TO sell its output, the
San Quintin mill had to face the aIterna-
tive OF adding to its stock on hand or par
TALLY closing down.
Then it was, says Mr.. Ruthe rford, we
decided to introduce the manufacture OF
sugar bags as we'll as grain bags. These
are of a much finer texture and much
more caro- is necessary in the work, there
fore the output became smaller in yard
age," for the finer the work the smaller
the result. For the six months ending
June, 1896, the superintendent says the
consumption of jute was greater than that
of the corresponding period in 1895, al
though the output was apparently less.
sit was the tariff, or the need of it, that
caused the trouble" said the superintend.
ent yesterday, ''iust as it has closed the
Oakland jute mills and is closing the cot
ton and WOODEN mills"
The import of bags from India, he says,
is Il, ,0C0, 600 year. These are all sold at
the same price as the homemade bags,
and the market is just that much over
stocked. With burlap, the cloth for max.
ing bags, the Indian article is sold here at
nearly half of what it can be made for by
home factories. AS result the manufac-
ture of burlap at the San Quentin mill has
stopped altogether, except when some spe-
cial order comes in.
Therefore it is the Democratic tariff sys-
tenn and not loose management, the
superintendent claims, which causes the
results of the convict mill to fall below
the Governors expectations. Rutherford
was for seventeen years in the Planet
mills of Brooklyn. n. Y, then one of the
largest mills in the East, and has an inter.
est in cotton-mills out here. He says con.
VicJ Aaoor Is HoI cheap, lor LIE men 90 MOI
DO one-third the work of free man. Be
sides, of the few convicts that he could
cali skilled" the greater number have
been drafted to work on the Tiburon road
He has no fear of his head being
"lopped off, !" for he took the position fol
only year, and his term will expire mex
month. He says since the mill was run.
ming it has forced the price of grain bags
to the farmer from and cents to l-5
while in the meantime jute has gone dowr
something over l cent. With the tariff
he says, the mill is all right. Without
the tariff even a convict mill will not pay