Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-30

I'm order TO get the 2s0 pounds, the
amount comprised In a bale ready Tor
shipment M
Next would come the pressing. The
hemp Is first packed IN a framework Oh
boxes which rest one upon the other, 80
that a press operated just Ike letter
press can be forced down upon them.
The queerest thing was the WORKING Oh
the screw This was done by Chinese
Upon q platform high above the press
thirty-two half-naked yellow skinned
mortals trotted about, pushing the
spOkes OF a wheel Four grasped eachh
OF the eight great spOkes and all ran
round and round as fast as they could
go. turning the screw which formed me
axle OF the wheel, thereby pressing the
hemp tight In the bale. A bell rung be
low was the signal for their starting
and stopping. and when they moved 1t
was on the dead run. pushing strains
ing and sweating as they did 50.
The bales are put up in the most eco
nomical way. They are wrapped IN
basketwork mats OF palm leaves and
are tied with strips Of rattan, so that
the cost OF ties and sacking Is prae-
Hcally nothing | asked the proprietor
OF the warehouse why he did not put
In machinery and save the employment
OF so many men. He replied that IL
would be cheaper Tor him 10 do so, but
that his insurance would be thereby IN
creased. and he preferred 60 work BY
the old method which has been IN
vogue here since the beginning.
A HEMP TRUST.
There is danger that there will be q
hemp trust organized which may con-
troll the production and marketing OF al
the hemp produced In the Islands, ana
the conditions would seem TO be favor
able for such an organization | met
before / left Manila an American who
MAS lust starting for New York for this
purpose. The facts In favor Of the sue
cess of such a trust are that hemp can
be raised nowhere outside the Philip
pines. and also that the business Is al
ready In such few hands that 1t might
easily be consolidated or so manipulate
cd that the exporters could be forced
into the combination. This man told me
that many Of the hemp planters are IN
debt. and ne seemed 20 have little doubt
az his success In the organization OF a
possible syndicate. AS to the facts'
however. / am not sure, and the large
amount OF undeveloped territory would
lead td the supposltion that such a trust
might be a failure In the development
which viii probably come through the
/ American occupation. At present no
systematic combination OF hemp plant
ers has been organized. The business Is
almost entirely In the hands OF the ma
! tves and the Spaniards, very few or the
/ estates being owned by the friars.
Hemp raising Is not like sugar rails
! ing IN that II needs a large capital. a
| man must. Il is true, have enough 10
snpport himself for the three years re-
/ ouired 10 bring the plants into bearing,
! INT after that an outlay OF a few dol
lars will furnish him with all the ma
| chinery he needs, and he can, as have
! said as far as labor Is concerned, run
! his plantation on shares, Even II ne
! pays for his labor he viii not give hls
! hands more than 10 or 20 cents a day
! In Manila. where wages are at their top
notch. the manager Of the largest hemp
warehouse told me he was paying
amounts equal TO 25 TO 30 cents gold
and he evidently thought these rates
exceedingly high.
PROFITS IN HEMP RAISING.
II seems 70 me that hemp raising VIII,
after matters are settled, form one OF
the best openings for American capital.
n is estimated that about 40 plants
! -. ha sat ont IN the acre ! am told