The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-02
TWINE PRICE up.
Warden Jewett Says Tt viii
Cost More Next Year.
Draws $4,000 Out of Treasury
to Make Purchases.
HE HAS FAITH IN 1T.
Thinks That the State Twine
Plant Is a Good Thing.
Will Not Go to Yucatan to Make
Purchases.

Fifty thousand dollars was the value
of a warrant drawn Wednesday after
noon on the state treasury by E. B.
Jewett, warden of the state peniten-
tiarY.
The sum came out of the revolving
fund of the states binding twine plant
Warden JeWett for the purchase OF
sisal to be manufactured into twine to
bind next years wheat crop.
Warden JeWett now has a big ship
ment of sisal en- route from Progresso.
Yucatan. 1t left Progresso several days
ago, and is due at Mobile today 1t will
reach Lansing within few days, and
| the binding twine plant will then oe
| Immediately started to manufacturing
/ the twine for next year. After it starts
! it will probably be kept running pretty
steadily for several months
Il do not look for the price OF twlne
to come down any next year,, said
Warden Jewett in discussing the twine
situation. "Sisal was higher in July and
August than it has been before in those
months for twenty years. Cash s1sal IS
now quoted in New York at about 912
cents, while last year we sold the manu-
factured twine for 10 cents, and the year
before it was furnished to the farmers
for 71z. The province of Yucatan has
recently put an export duty of half a
cent pound gold, and this means an
advance in the price. Then the produc-
demand. Only small part of Yucatan
is utilized for growing sisal because Of
| a lack of labor. Nobody can work down
there but the poems or descendants of
the original natives. The Sisal planta
ton owners have tried importing Porto
| Ricans, but they could not stand the
work. Then they tsied negroes from
Jamaica, but they were a failure too.
There are not enough of the natives to
do all the work. so only a small portion
of the land is used for raising sisaL
4 supposed" continued Mr.. Jewett.
that when the United States came into
full possession of the Philippines and
got things to running smoothly over
there, the production of Manila hemp
would be greatly increased, but it has
not worked out that way yet. 1 was
talking with the biggest hemp broker
in America about this matter a few days
ago when I was back in New York and
he said I was right theoretically, but 1t
has not work out that way because the
government is making so many inn
provements and is paying so much bet
ter wages that the laborers will not
work in the hemp fields. When matters
adjust themselves / presume we will
from Manila. That is of a much better
quality than what we get from Yucatan
for twine purpose, because it will make
more feet to the pound
Warden Jewett will continue to run
the twine plant not with a view to
making a big profit for the state off the
; farmers, but with a view to making
Just enough profit to keep the plant as
good as new and to accumulate enough
! surplus to guard against loss if there
should be a sudden slump in sisal some
time after the states supply has been
bought.
There is the same danger of losing in
the twine business that there is in any
} other" said the warden. I'VE aim to
: run it so as to keep the revolving fund
intact and make enough to keep the
! ri Iair shane broken
or worn out machines and provide
against emergencies. But there is dan
ger of a slump in the sisal market just
the same as there is in the wheat mar
kst So far we have kept the revolving
fund intact and the plant has paid its
expenses besides saving hundreds OF
l thousands of dollars to the great grow
ers of the state. l am going on the the
| ory that if the plant pays ex-
penses and keeps the price of twine
down to where it ought to be, the other
taxpayers of the state will not object
} It will not cost them anything and il
| will save lots of money to the farmers
: L have been blamed for not making
public every move I have made in con
nection with the twine plant and all o
its business" said Mr.. Jewett. ''Th'
binding twine plant is a business propo
sition when it goes into competition witt
the big plants of eastern manufacturers
and it would be disastrous to the busI
2 ness to make public every move W.
make and tell just what We are goin;
to do The Mccormick people don't pub
Iish it from the house tops when the.
make a big purchase of sisal and tel
f Just what they pay for it. Nor do th
f big dealers tell what price they prOpOs
v | to charge during the following season a
: | soon as they fix it. 1t happened that
: had way of finding out last sprini
f when they fixed the price. They wan
:. to guard against a sudden slump in tn
4 price of sisal, and so representatives o
a | the big plants meet each season an
= agree upon the price which they vii
;, charge during the foliow1ng season Tn
u last time they met 1 was informed tn
:, same afternoon by telegraph just wha
!, prices they had agreed upon.
II II "Of course we have had to learn tn
l. business of manufacturing twine her
: in Kansas. None of us knew anythi
J about it when the plant was installed.
don't suppose Mr.. Tomllnson had eve
had any experience of any kind in man
/ ufa acturing twine when he took hold @
q the business, and I know 1 did not whei
t 1 succeeded him. Up in Minnesota tn
1t first three or four years they had t
: throw out $4,000 worth of machiner
Is and put in new machines. They lost
:. good deal of money to start with. Now
e though, the warden at Saltwater ha
g been in the business for twelve years
1 and he has it on a sound basis"
r Mr.. Jewett. will not go to Yucatan thl
e year as he did last year. He thinks
II unnecessary as he understands the sill
sr uation and will either import the siss
n from Prcgresso or buy it from import
IL ers in the east.
Coinage in September.
d Washington. Oct. 2-The MONTH