Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-29
IMPORTATION OF HEMP
No Falling Of, as Has Been Be-
lieved.
Expectation From the Philippines
viii he Facilitated-POIicy of the
War Department Stated.

| War Department has written letter to
Representative Long of Kansas defining the
policy of the department regarding the
| commerce of the Philippines with especial
| reference to the opening Of ports for the
expectation of hemp. The letter is as fol-
! lows:
/ have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ceipt through you of a letter from Mr.. d.
| w. Blaine of Pratt, Kansas, dated the 18th
| instant. inclosing a newspaper clipping
which purports to give an interview with
| Mr. William Filter, in which he is repre-
scented as saying:
There is now so little Manila hemp in
the country that the price is IA to 10 cents
| pound as against a normal price of or
cents. The return to this market of the
normal supply of Manila hemp would mean
a saving of millions of dollars to the farm
ing interests in harvester twine At pres
ent its price is so high that Mexican sisal
takes It's place in the manufacture of har-
veSter Irvine. The price of sisal has nearly
doubled since the Manila supply was cut
off
The normal supply of Manila hemp from
all the islands of the Philippine group is
about 5000 bale a week of $50 pounds
each. Since the beginning of the war only
about 1000 bales week have been ship
ped
Mr.. Blaine further represents the import
ance to the farmers of the wheat growing
states of every possible effort on the part
OF the government to facilitate the eXpor-
tatlon of Manila hemp from the Philippine
Islands. in order to lessen the hardship i'm
posed upon wheat raisers by the large adj
vance IN the price of Irvine.
Instructions to Gen. Otis
In reply you are advised that on the 18th
instant the department cabed to General
otis at Manila stating that the Secretary
OF war desired the hemp ports opened and
sarr1soned as soon as it can be done, with
due regard for the best interests of the
military situation. The military governor
OF the Philippines cabled on December II
IN response, that the hemp ports will be
opened as soon as transportation of sufi-
Gent troops to garrison the same can be Sc
cured, and that there would probably be
active trade with the same early in Janu-
airy.
II may be said in reference to the state
ments quoted above as having been made
by ME- ritter. and as to similar ones ap-
pearing in different newspapers, that the
largest expectation of hemp from the Is
iands IN any one year vas in 1897, a year of
which the official statistics have never
peen punished, but in which the COM
merclal estimates place the quantity
at H. ts6 tons. or an average of H.
800 bales approximately per month, as
against the 25,000 stated in the clipping.
The imports into the United States Of This
fiber rose from 2O,55O tons in 1880. the wear
the first binders using Irvine began to call
for the article, to 1920 tons in 1889 dur
ing which year its import value was sl64
per ton; in 1891 it had dropped to 1862
tons with a value of $164 per ton
The imports into the United States for
the ten months ending October 81, 1899,
amounted to 1910 tons, valued at Sl23 per
ton. The largest importation into this conn
try during any one year prior to 1899 was
in 1897, when the total for the twelve
months was 1856 tons, or SO tons less
than for the ten months ending with last
October
1t would appear therefore that there has
never been year when so much Manila
hemp entered the United States as in 1882,
also that its average value during this year
mas been s41 per ton less than in 1889 or
1891.
Effect of Overplus of SisaI
The statements relative to the exorbitant
price of the fiber are plausible only when
the current prices are compared with those
existing in the years which followed The
agricultural depression in the wheat states
at time when the overplus of sisal, which
ur to that time had always been the sole
constituent of the So-called STANDARD bind
er twine,' forced the import price of Ma
MIA hemp very low, that a few pur-
chases were made low as 23s cents per
pound. and it became cheaper for the Irvine
mills to substitute it to a large extent for
the sisai fiber. In 1899 however the imnor-
tatlon OF sisal for the ten months was 55OT4
tons quantity exceeded by the yearly to-
tails of only two years. 1897 and 1893. 1t
would appear that with the importations
OF both sisal and Manila fibers so largely
increased high prices can only result from
an increased consumption
The communica tons of manufacturers
and brokers to this department regarding
the opening of the ports indicate that there
Is no trust or combine controlling the
hemp market as feared by the farmers, ac-
cording to Mr.. Blaine's letter.
When the Ports Will Be Omen.
The War Department is doing everything
compatible with the requirements of the
military situation to develop the trade of
the Philippine Islands and is confident that
the so-called hemp ports will be open to
trade in ample time for any accumulations
of hemp therein contained to reach this
country and be manufactured before the
next wheat harvest, inasmuch as the COM
binaton of low freight rates and high price
OF hber will tend to bring the shipments
by steamer in lieu of sailing vessels, and as
they require only three months for the trim
and an additional month will suffice to place
the manufactured article in the hands of
farmers, shipments leaving Manila in
March would be available for the harvests
OF Iowa, Nebraska and the northwestern
states. Very respectfully,
(Signed.) G. D. MElKLEJOHN .
Assistant Secretary of War