The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1899-12-13
FLAX GRAIN SACKS.
New lndustsy to Be Started at San
Quentin.
California Will Benefit by Recent Exper.
ments Begun In
Oregon.

Mrs. VIM. p. Lord, originator of the
Oregon Woman's Flax Fibre association
who has just sailed for Buenos Ayers
would be delighted at this from San
Francisco:
The prospect of creating new indus.
try in California by making sacks at
San Quentin out Of California fax and
hemp, promises to be reality. Should
this idea succeed, it will result in great
benefit to the state, will necessitate the
remodelng Of all the machinery in the
state prison mill and will keep at home
Sl5O,0O0 annually expended by import
ing jute from Calcutta. Besides the
Sentit to the state, the sacks will be of
vastly supeior quality, and can be sold
at the same and possibly lower rates
than the Calcutta rates.
These facts were brought out Saturday
at meeting OF the directors of the
prison. Some time ago w. J. j. Gun.
ningham of Salem, Or, an expert upon
lax and hemp weaving was employed
to investigate the feasibility of making
sacks, rope and twine out Of native fax
and hemp. The results of his expert.
ments were presented to the board, and
demonstrated to the members that il is
not necessary to purchase jute from a
foreign country when fiber Of superior
quality can be raised here almost as
cheaply. The quality of the bags
weaved on iute machines, which are
not exactly fitted for work on other ma
terials, was pronounced 10 be vastly
superior to the iute bags, and the ex.
pertinent was declared success.
1t was shown that the cost at present
is little greater than the actual ex-
pense of making up jute, including its
importation, but still the sacks could be
sold TO farmers at lesser rate than
those imported from Calcutta.
Though no definite action was taken,
pending further experiment, the general
opinion of the members of the Board
foreshadows the discarding Of jute and
the use Of Of flax and hemp ~ soon rs
there is u sufficient supply in the Pa.
cifc Coast states to equal the demand.
At present San Quentin jute sacks sell
at 5ll cents apiece, while the bags OF
Calcutta, OF inferior make, are quoted
Z cents. The hemp, or flax bag can he
sold at cents us an outside margin.
San Qentin produces about one-sixth
OF the jute bags OF the worlds output,
Calcutta making most OF the remainder
The annual demand on the Coast ex-
ceeds 29,OOO,OOO bags, aud between
6,0OO,OOO and 1000, 600 is the utmost Ca
pacity OF the State mill. Under State
law, a profit Of not more than cent
per bag is allowed TO be charged for
convict-made sacks; thus 1t is obvious
that each sack costs the State IA cents.
Even at this small rate Of profit, and
with the expenditure OF over Sl50,0O0
for jute, last year the aggregate profit
amounted TO more than $4,000. Using
home production OF materials il is be-
leyed will result in not only superior
article, but in great benefit To the
State and a corresponding lack Of COM
petition.
In his monthly report Warden Agu rre
announced the results Of Cunningham's
experiments and presented made bags
as proof OF success.
Fearing that another attempt will be
made to corner the sack market by
spectators the directors decided to
adhere strictly to the rule, recently