Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-25

Albion, at a cost of $500; lumber mil
at F~armingdale repaired at a cost O
$4,000; a new wood working job shop a
Monmouth, cost 5000; and a butter fac
tory at Winthrop. enlarged, at a cos
of $4,000.
The total costs Of the buildings en-
larged, completed. or in process o
erection for the several years com
mencing with 1891, are as follows
$ 3,o23, $50; ST. 2s. 900; 1854, 725: $500, 700
1885,, 500; and 81 ,055. 900.
The first industry taken up in tn,
! report is the tannery. 1t shows that II
1910 there were 200 tanneries in what
was then the district of Maine. liz
1920, there were 2iS, and, in 1910, 365
employing 754 hands, and with $571, 70:
invested. The report says in part:
Prior to 1860 several tanneries OF
quite respectable proportions had beer
built, but the war and the prosperous
times which followed stimulated this
industry, and the next fifteen years
saw a score or more of immense sole
leather plants established in the east
ern part of the State. AS the hem
lock was cut off and bark became
scarce in the older settled counties.
the small tanneries, which had existed
from the early days, dropped out of
existence one after another, and where
we a at n time over 400 in the
State, today less than forty of all de-
scriptions exist, and where formerly
the annual output barely averaged ST.
900, at the present time the same item
ranges from $65. 200 to $40, 900.
The tanning and finishing of leather
may still be classed as one of Names
important manufacturing industries
and in 1890 was exceeded only by cot
ton goods. lumber, boots and shoes
and wooden goods, in the order of the
value of their product. All the vari-
u kinds of leather are here produced
but at the present time the manufac-
ture Of sole leather is by far the most
important.
The sole leather tanneries are, with
hardly an exception, located in the
four eastern counties, Penobscot,
Aroostook, Hancock and Washington.
There are, however, located in various
parts of the State, quite a large num-
Der where the various kind of harness.
wax and upper leather are produced
as well as several large sheep skin
and moccasin leather tanneries. In
one establishment 1000, 900 sheep skins
are annually tanned.
The starch industry in Aroostook
county a assumed such magnitude.
that it must be classed with the pulp.
granite, lime, ice and other great in
dustries of the State. 1t has developed
to its present proportions within the
past 25 years and has resulted from
the ease with which potatoes are raised
in the county, and the excellent quail
ity of t6e crop.
The Starch industry has grown rap
idly from 1871 to the present time.
There are now 40 starch factories in
Aroostook county. s'The amount OF
starch manufactured at any of the
factories varies from year to year., the
average being about 200 tons each per
year. In 1885, the whole amount man
ufactured in he. county was 10000
tons. OF this enormous amount, Hon.
T, H. Phair of Pressure Isle, manu-
featured 5000 tons in the fall of 1895,
in his sever factories. I'M owing to
the low price of potatoes, he opened his
factories last spring. II manufac-
tured HOO tons more, making 4400 ton
in n year. John Watson of Houl-
ton, is the next heaviest manufactur-
er, and last year in his four factories. f!
made over 1000 tons.
Our starch manufacturers have to
compete with starch made in Europe, |
especially with hat of Germany. Not
only is labor much lower in Germany
than in the United States, but the
Germans ave and make use of the
pumice and all of what in this country |
is denominated waste, and a there |
fore sell their starch at a much lower
price than Americans can afford to sell |
for. The German manufacturer is sat
isfied with n cent and one-half per
pound for his starch. a price that
would not pay the cost of production
fore. that the present duty of one and
one-half cents per pound is too low. |
for the momen that starch rises in |
pllCS " tAlIcc CcltS per pOuliu, lIle lOE-
eign product is rushed into the coun-
try in great quantities. Last spring
the price of potatoes was so low that a
number of starch manufacturers
started up their factories and ground
up large quantities of potatoes into |
starch, as starch does not deteriorate !
by age, and can be stored till the
price becomes satisfactory. The price |
of potato starch nay never be so high
again as it has been in the past, but
it is al industry we'll established in
this State, and as long as h magnifi-
e soil of Aroostook county con-
tinues to produce such great guam
titles and so rich in starch, the in-I
dustry will live and flourish, and the |
great county of Aroostook will con-
tinue to prosper.
To excellent water power facil-
tiles is due in a great degree the
thriving scythe and ak manufacture
ing industry Of the State, which Is al