Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-11

Something About the Cost Of a
Plant and the Raw Ma
terial.
Des Moines, Sept. II The members of
the state board of control have re-
turned from Duluth, where they at
tended the conference Of the Minnesota
board Of charities and corrections, and
Saltwater, where they visited the state
penitentiary and Investigated the bind
ing Irvine manufacture in the institu-
ton. At Duluth the members We're re-
ceived with great hospitality, and at
tended the sessions of the conference,
which were interesting and profitable.
They went to Saltwater on the way
back.
When Judge Kline returned from his
recent eastern trip he prepared re-
port to the board in which he discussed
the general question of convict labor
in detail. He reached the conclusion
that. from the standpoint of the states
interest, manufacturing on state ac-
count was not desirable. The conclu-
sion was stated in the most definite
terms, and was commonly accepted as
deciding the board in opposition to any
other plan than the selling of convict
labor to the highest bidder. 1t appears
| that this conclusion was not warranted
On the other hand, members of the
board Saturday admitted that they are
fstill investigating the operations of the
| binding Irvine factory, with the view to
possibly establishing it in this state
| The information they gathered in Min
nesota was conflicting in it's character,
but OIL the whole seemed favorable to-
the enterprise.
/ Estimates were secured on the cost of
| a Irvine plant. 1t stated that a plant
capable of turning out 10000 pounds of
Irvine day would cost from $4,000 to
| 100000. But this is only the beginning.
| In Minnesota they are using 100000 of
leash in the conduct of the business II
is necessary to keep the plant in opera
! ton the entire year, and to do so re-
Iquires a large amount of money to sup
ply raw material and pay the mainte-
nance of the convicts. Then there is the
large expense of special buildings for
the plant; SO that it is found that at
present the state of Minnesota has
about 100000, and possibly $250.000, in
vested in this industry. ALI this would
not be especially discouraging, but for
the fact that with this large investment
only about eighty men are kept at work
at the industry. The Iowa board wants
to find an industry that will give en-
/ ployment to a much larger number of
i men. but in this business most of the
work is done by machinery, and it is
Impossible, without a Very large ex-
8Ipenditure for plant and capital, to keep
i the business in operation.
4 During the present season the Still
water plant will turn out 100000
i pounds of Irvine, and it will be sold
at and cents per pound. This is a
profit of liz cents per pound, and yet
4 the twine is sold at 4 cents per point
4 less than the current market price. III
the twine manufactured this year had
been sold at current market rates it
would have earned the institution a
profit of just about $4,000 The Irvine
is sold directly to the farmers of Min
nesota, and in this way the profit is
saved to the people of the state, ever
though most of it never reaches the
state treasury.
The plan of conducting the business
requires that all Irvine shall be solo
| direct to the farmers till April /. AT
), ter that until May 1, 1T shall be sold t.
!, wholesale dealers. But the factor,
never fails to dispose of the entire
years product direct to farmers. Thi!
VI year there was not pound for sale t.
dealers.
t The Saltwater people had a windfal
in the recent increase in the prices o
manila hemp and sisal, the two raw
materials of the manufacture. Manil;
has been going skyward in price at
rate which suggests that there ar
Z | drawbacks even to expansion. 1t ha
. been impossible to get satisfactory con
: tracts for it, except at high prices
since the American capture of the Phil
ippines. Sisal comes from Yucatan, an
is sometimes used in mixture wit
manila, and sometimes is manufacture
n by itself. But the sisal growers hav
discovered that the advance in price G
manila gives them, too, an opportunit
= to do some specializing, and they hav
= pushed their prices upward at the sam
: pace that manila has been advance,
: This uncertainty about the supply {
e raw material is one of the dangerou
features involved in an investment
y the industry. The uncertainty of cond
/ tions in the Philippines makes itimpo.
"a sble. at this time, to say what anoth,
u season may bring forth
II When manila and sisal began to ri:
~ in price. the Minnesota institution ha
le an immense supply on hand. 1t resul
L ed in making the business highly prof
Il. able the present season.
re
m AN IOWA MAN IN TROUBLE.
HAS Disappeared With Shortage
His Accounts.
n Omaha, Sept 11.-Ten thousand dc
st lars has mysteriously disappeared fro
st the Nebraska National Bank, of tt