The Bemidji pioneer., 1900-10-18

ent amount on hand, the state will now
lose over $4,000 this year. to say nothing
about the losses that may come In by the
non-colleetion of a large amount of out
standing notes.
Now, let us see what the situation was
two years ago We were unable to fur
nish the required number of pounds Of
twine. and we turned back during that
season orders for more than four million,
5pounds--cash orders-that we were una BILE
TO fill. Every pound that was manufac-
tured was disposed Of to the farmer three
or four months in advance. This year
the farmers of the state did the same
thing that thes had been doing before,
sent in their orders early, expecting that
they were going to get about as good q
bargain as they had been in the habit Of
getting for the last four or five years on
this twine. The consequence is that We
sold within million and a half pounds
of what we had bought, because the farm
ers believed that they We're going to get
the same kind Of twine that they had been
getting. but at two or three cents less
than the cost of the commercial tw.nc.
They did not know but what they We're
going to get just as good Irvine as they
had always got. But the fact Of the busl-
ness was that when they came to ex-
anime the twine, they found they had got
something that was not as good as they
had been in the habit of getting. am
not going to say 1t was worthless, because
1t was not. You could use It, but 1t was
the
Poorest Irvine Ever Made in Still
winter Ys
since the plant was established; anu
when the farmers saw what kind Of tWine
they began to get, the orders ceased 20
come in, and hence the management mas
been unable to dispose of all Of its twine
this year.
But that it not ALL The farmers
found, when they came to get this
twine and compare It with other COM.
mercial twine, that they We're not get
ting. 1t as cheap as they could get II
from their local dealers. When thes
came to compare the quality Of the.
twine with that they were getting
from the penitentiary with the quality
Of the twine that they Were getting
from the commercial dealers, they
found that it was more expensive.
Hence there was great deal Of dissat-
isfaction, and no one this year has
heard of a second order being sent by
the same farmers to saltwater for
twine. 1t was not the same kind OF
twine that they had been hble to get
before under the old administration
8 Now, we have at the present time q
dead loss to the state of from S35. 900 to
$40, ,000, but what will be the conse-
quences next year? What is the seri-
Gus question in regard to this tWlne
plant? Why, we must dispose OF the
manufactured twine every year or It
will result in
A ID .ad Loss to the State.
And want to say right here that the
twine plant has got a great many
enemies in this state. Not only amongst
the twine manufacturers Of the United
States, but the wholesale dealers IN
twine in this state, and they are a
powerful factor. Then there is another
class of people that do not look uron3
the success of this twine plant With
any degree of kindness, and that IS
the local dealers In this article. Let It
be known in this state that the twine
plant is not able to carry its own
weight and you Will hear howl go
UP from all over the state, and from
the laboring men of the city; for the
latter class of people do not lhok with
any degree of Kindness on this Plant
because they say 1t comes in competi-
tion with their affairs, and the only
reason why we have been able to make
appropriations and carry this plan on
successfully is because we could show
to an absolute certainty the falsity of
the arguments made againat 1t and
say, 'See what a grand success we
have made out of It," It was not only
manufacturing the twine at prices from
8 to cents below other commercial
twine, but 1t was actually hetter than
that and making a large clear profit to
the state every year.
Better md Cheaper Tyvine and
Profit to the State.
Now, Warden Wolfer, when he was
before the investigating committee two
years ago. which was appointed by
the legislature to investigate the
charges that Gov. Lind and others
made, testified under oath that the
twine plant had made in 1897 a clear
profit above all expenses of over s4S,000.
want to say, also, that the prison
labor Is charged up to the twine at SO
cents day. The farmer who gets the
twine pays for that, and the wear and
tear of the machinery is taken out and
considered in making these figures;
but when you take all this cut we had
made a clear profit in 1897 of over
$4s 1000.
Z In 1898 we manufactured about
100000 pounds of twine, paid the
prison institution so cents day for
the days employed in making that
twine,. and paid for the wear and tear
of the machinery and cleared and put
into the state treasury over $4,000 In
clean, cold cash. So, in two yearsI
cannot trace the whole history, Because
it would be- too lengthy--in two years
we had made twine in the State of Min
nesota and sold 1t to the farmers at
from to 4 and even cents a pound
less than the commercial twina was
sold for and cleared for the state more
than $130,000, and in the time since the
plant was organized and established
we have made over 100000 in cold cash