The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-07-01


Iuriz which has brought in London as
much Sso0 ton. This. however. can
be raised in but small quantities, and II
should not be regarded n criterion in
considering the hemp possibilities
Hemp has been going steadily up in
price since Il was first exported. and this
notwithstanding the size Of the crop has
trebied In the last twenty years. About
fifty years ago the price was between
and S. per ptcul In the next decade tt
rose to So ard I'm the eighties the average
price was sti Ten years later st had
risen 20 Ss5 These high prices ara caused
by the war, and there viii probably he
fan within the near future. AT present
the crop runs in che neghhorhood Of
quarter Of billion pounds year.
enough TO give every family in the Unit
ed States enough for a clothes line and 10
supply all the children with jumping
ropes, and still leave much To spare. II
. would. in fact give three pounds Of hemp
TO every man, woman and child In our
country, and not exhaust the supply by
* 900 AGo pounds,
OF this amount the United States takes
more than one-third We use more Ma
Mia hemp than all Europe. excepting En-
gland Great Britain coming next 10 us
but she acts rather as a middleman for
Europe than as an actual user.
P-f,f tree ITeifodS IN me GfeSt Hare-
houses of Marda.
NIrRING my stay in Manila spent
IL some time In she great hemp ware
houses There are perhaps a dozen
OF them where the most OF the product
IS sent 10 be sorted and classined ne
fore II e. shipped TO the markets OF the
world It is taken TO Manila from the
islands in sailing vessels and small
steamers and IL Is brought In from the
interior ~ Luzon In cascoes. or great
hargcs. which are pushed along through
the river with poles.
Some ~ tho warehouses are enormous.
The one visited had more than q million
dollars worth Of produce of enc Kind or
another stored away in II. II was a
great white two-story building, covering
almost an acre. situated on the banks OF
the Pasg river. not far from the nay.
and at the lower end Of shat section Of
Manila called Blnondo. Cascoes and
ships loaded with tobacco and hemp lay
haf0re H. and bales OF Nemp were being
carried out Of Il and into It by haf-naked
~htpese coolies. The coolies were iabor-
ing in pairs each pair CARRYING a bale
N rattan sling upon pole whlch
rested upon their shoulders. IN 'front.' OF
the warehouse quantity Of hemp was
apread out under the sun TO dry. and In
side of II were stacks and bales Of this
stun. half filing the great room from
floor 20 ceiling.
went inside and watched the haling
and sorting cf the hemp for shipment IL
vas indeed strange sight for the end
of this century ~ invention and progress.
Everything was done by hand. About
rftv r-iIipluos were AT work tearing the
bales apart and sorting the stun. when
looked like strands and twists OF silver
white hair. but which WAS really great
ranks OF hemp. From time to time the
I "a N
hanks and pile II up on the platform un-
III they Rad as much NJ an ordinary mule
cart could hold they would weigh this
mon immense hteelysrds which hung
from the roof. adding or Tuhstracting In
order TO get The ~ pounds, the amount
COMPRISED in bale ready for shipment,
Next would come The pressing. Inc
hemp is FIRST packed In a framework ~
boxes which rest ono upon another 80
that o press operated Just Ike letter
press can DO forced down upon them. Ihs
eueerest thing was the working OF the
screw This was done by Chinese. fp0n
platform high shove the press thirty
,wo haIf-nnked, yellow skinned mortals
trotted abou, pushing the spokcs OF
wheel -Four grasped each OF the eight
great zpokos and ali ran round and round
as fast as they could go, turning the
screw which formed the axle u tho
wheel thereby pressing the hemp Tight In
the hale he'll ruur below was a signal
for their starting and stopping, and when
they moved e was on the dead run. push
ing, stfaining and sweating as they did
SO
The bales arc put UP In the most eco
, nomioal way They are wrapped in hask-
~ work mats 81 palm leaves and are tled
with strlps ~ rattan. 50 that the cost OK
ties nna sacking ia practically nothing.
asked the proprietor of the warehouse
shy ne 8ld not put IN machinery ana save
tho employ az 80 many men He re-
piled that II would he cheaper for hlm
10 80 @a hui that MA insurance would
! he thereby increased. and he preferred %
work hy she ola method which haa been
In vogue here since tire beginning
There Is danger that there wiii be
hemp ftust organized. which may control
the production and marketing ~ all the
hetar produced ia the Islands. and the
conditions would seem 80 te favorable
for such IN organization I met before
left Manila an American who var iast
starting f8r %ew York fur tais purpoeT-
s'he facts in favor ~ he success ~ such
+ trust are thal hemp can be raised no.