The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-09
BINDING TwINE WILL BE HIGHER.

BINDING TWlNE WILL BE HIGHER.
Kansas farmers the present indications Of the
wheat crop viii buy binding Irvine this year
than last but from the present indications of the hemp
crop they viii pay per pound for tHlne.
The sisl crop Of Yucaan seems have been hit harder
than the wheat crop and the price Of Irvine
has advanced more than that of wheat In an interview
Judge E B Je,ye warden Of the state penitentiary,
and superintendent the state wne plant says that he
believes that the price of binding twinew stay for
several years to como unless the Philippine product can
be brought to United States free Of duty at either
end present there is export duty on the raw ma
terial in the Philippines
This opinion is the result of Mr. Jewetts trip the
hemp plantations last winter, and his sub
sequent Investigations 1t is almost impossible to get
enough labor in that viii increase the hemp
production and the Philippine product is too expensive
when the export duty is added.
provision has been made to give a rebate on Phil
ppne hemp exported into the United States and
manufactured into Irvine here, but it is such laborous
process to secure the rebate and there is much red
tape about il that it is hardly worth the while. Mr.
Jewett has asked Of the members OF the Kansas
delegation in Congress to have law passed simplifying
the process allowing Philippine hemp to come direct
the United States without sort Of duty at either
end.
There are about three thousand hemp plantations
on which the Irvine sisa raised" said Mr. Jewet in
discussing the Irvine situation Down there it is
question labor raising the stuff. The only people
who win work it the poems descendants
from the Aztec indians. An experiment was made in
shipping some Porto Rican laborers there to work on
the plantations but it not a success The poems
spend their lives a single plantation They go with
a place when it is sold
The plantations are fat table and just about
as barren Of soil The plants seem to grow right the
bare rock There are dummy railroads running some
the plantations and the rails laid right tbs
bare ground.
This year the sisa costs so much that the price for
the penitentary Irvine viii be 1912 cents pound in small
lots and 10 cents in lots of 5000 pounds This
viii let the dealers make a half profit, many
would prefer buying direct Of the dealer look
the price of Irvine stay up that figure for
time.
Minnesota has made marked success of its binding
Irvine plant was established about eleven years ago
but the first three years ii lost because it had
the kind Of machinery. At the end of that time
had to buy new equipment and since then it has
been doing business along strictly business lines and
# has quadruped its original working capital
double the size of the Kansas plant and works about
$50 convicts Tt has been under continuous manage
ment and that OF course help to it, Then the Ni1
farmers have educated buy their Irvine
long before harvest that it is possible tell
thing about the demand but Kansas farmers won't do
that They wait until the Monday before harvest
begins and then they all want twne once My idea
is that the Kansas plant ought be along business
lines the any business enterprise. althoug it
is not intended Of course TO make money. think that
dealers should be allowed handle the that
they ought TO be allowed make fair profit for doing
the business but an exorbtant one
Nj Jewett has just letter 10 farmers and i'm
plement dealers throughout the state in which he says:
The price of the state Irvine for this year f. o. b.
Lansing has been fixed 10 cents per pound in lots
Of 5000 pounds and and l01 cents per pound for
amounts under 5000 pounds 10 agents viii be ar
pointed The Irvine viii be sold residents of the state
and This ~iA include dealersi however te>