The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-24
THE STATE PRISON rw1NE.

in the persons of the Hon. Robert Dunn
and the Hon. ]. F. jacobson. Notwith-
standing the statement of these gentle
men to the effect, that some raw material
on hand at the close of the fiscal year
July 81, 1900, was worth less than it cost,
the fact remains, unwelcome as it must
be to Dunn and Jacobsonnand the Irvine
ness has been a net profit of about $780,
600. The Irvine was sold to the farmers
at a quarter of cent above cost and
that too at time when the trust was
charging from IL cents to 212 cents per
pound more, for the same article
The plan Of buying for future delivery
under which most of this years stock was
bought, resulted in a saving of over $40,
600 in addition to any possible loss on the
stock on hand July 81, no mention of
which is made by these gentlemen who
are so interested in the farmers.
1t is a matter of a good deal of sur
prise that two public officials should al
low themselves to be made the tools of
the Irvine trust in an attack on a state
industry which has saved the farmers
Of Minnesota thousands of dollars in the
past and which will cont nue. to do so in
the future, despite the direct and indi-
rect efforts of the Irvine trust to compass
of this state would like to know how
much money the Irvine trust has con-
tributed to assist Republican orators and
newspapers to destroy the prison Irvine
plant?
These people say that the balance on
hand July 81 1900 Of over $500, 900 has
been used up. That is true, for it was
used to buy material with, and it is now
every cent on hand in the shape of first
class farmers notes. More Irvine has
been manufactured and at a less cost this
year than ever before. It was unfor-
tunate that the price V. 5 fixed so early
in the season, but that is the fault of the
law, not of the prison board, for the
laws says: 1.-THE price of binding twine
shall be fixed not later than March 1.
each year."
The president of the board of man
ayers made full and fair reply to Mr..
Dunn. In it he says: '"The price of
Irvine had been fixed on Feb. 8, 1850, at
10 cents per pound for sisal at which
time the price of raw material in New
York was cents a pound; to which was
to be added freight, cost of Irvine oil,
Increased in price 200 per cent from the
previous year,, the allowance of so cents
day for convict labor, and all ex-
penses of manufacture" The estimated
output of the factory was sold before
the end of March and as good judgment
dictated, the raw material to fill these
orders was purchased when the orders
were booked. '"Ihe raw material for
the year 1900 cost $55S,O0O as against s314,-
600 for the year 1895, an exees of $245. 200. -
And yet, Mr.. Dunn would try to make
1T appear that this two hudred thousand
dollars had been wasted or squandered
by the present board of managers!
Mr.. Dunn goes on to say-that there Is
now on hand 1915. 900 Of notes and then he
offers the following insult to the farmers
who have given these notes: 1.-The in
dications are that there will be a large
sum uncollseted on Dec. l. this year
By this statement he can only mean that
the farmers either cannot or will not pay
duo fhaxz
cannot pay; then he charges them with
being bankrupt, despite the great pros
perity he talks about; if they will not
pay; then he charges them with dishon-
esty. In the management this year there
has been no selling of Irvine to dealers at
one price and to- farmers at higher
| price, nor have dealers been allowed to
buy Irvine of the prison and sell it to
| the farmers at an advance of to cents
a pound7as they did two years ago. The
board of managers in their biennial re-
port says: During the past season not
a pound of Irvine, so far as we are able
the entire output of the factory having
gone to individual farmers or farmers
| clubs; the price having been the same
| to all. This has, to large extent, OBJ
Waited the dissatisfaction which resulted
from the former policy of disposing OF
| the larger portion of the output to deal
ers, and discriminating in price between
| small orders and carload lots
| The letter of President Nelson disposed
| so effectuaIly of the misstatement of Mr.
Dunn that the only thing left for the
calamity howlers was to attack tn,
| quality of the twine made this year.
And the only comfort they derived
| from this move was to call out the fol
lowing Indignant letter from Mr.. Han
Ion. who has been the superintendent o.
the twine factory ever since it started.
His letter appeared in the Minneapolis
Journal Oct. Is. and is as follows:
! To the Editor of the Journal: 1 no
ticed in last nights paper the following
| statement referring to the prison Irvine
'SThe twine was overloaded with oil
was uneven and short in length; the raw
material was as good as eyer; the ma
chimes were the same machines that hay.