The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-14
PRICE OF TWINE.
State Product Goes Onto Market
at 8 l-2 Cents.
This Is a Reduction of Cent a
Pound.
UNDERSELLS TRUST.
Their Price Is a Cent More
Than State Schedule.
Output viii Be Double That of
Last Year.

VIII go on the market this year al gi2
cents a pound at Lansing in lots of s.
600 pounds or over. and at 10 cents
pound in lots of less than 5000 pounds
These figures are of great interest to
every farmer in the wheat belt. be-
cause binding twine represents one OF
the chief items OF expense in the har-
vest. and the price of state twine vir-
tually fixes the price of all twine
This is reduction of one cent irons
the prices in force last year, but il
allows the state a small margin of profit
for the wear and tear on machinery, in
addition to interest ON the investment
and narrow margin to replace the cost
of the plant.
The prices established by the twine
trust. or the international Harvester
company is 1o55 cents a pound for less
than car lots, f. 0. b. Chicago. or 1914
cents 2ound in car lots. The freight
rate from Chicago to Kansas City is 81
cents. This makes the price for trust
twine at Missouri river points tIitle
more than cent a pound in excess of
the price charged for state twine on
small lots and four-fifths Of d cent =
pound more on large lots
In reckoning the price of state twine
at any given point, the local freight
rate from Lansing to that point must
be added to the price charged by the
state at Lansing The rate on car lots
is considerably less than the rate in
small lots, and this and the half cut
difference IN price between large and
small lots allows the dealer to make a
profit of a cert pound without any
hardship to the farmer. The state does
not specify the price at which the
dealer shall sell the twine, but the fact
that the farmer can send to Lansing
adm buy it on the same conditions as
the dealer keeps the dealer down to his
profit of one cent pound.
For instance, if q farmer orders 500
pounds Of twine it win cost him 10 cents
pound. plus the-Iocal freight rate on
sTlall packa ges. = He must go to the
trouble Of naiti@e the order. which is
no small task for the average farmer.
He would sooner give his dealer
small margin than go TO this trouble,
especially if the dealer often grants
him favors in other ways. If the deal
er gives him credit so that he does not
have to pay for his twine until after his
wheat is sold, he may be willing to pay
still half cent more.
If d lot of farmers should club to-
gether and order a carload of peniten-
tiary tWine they could get it at 80
cents a pound and get the advantage
of car load rates on freight which al
together would mean saving Of some
thing over half a cent pound, but II
is considerable trouble to form the club
the dealer treats them fairly Warden
Jewett therefore figures that the dealer
can make 2 profit of about cent
pound. with half cent added where ne
sells the twine on time.
The trust price this year IS 20 cents
a hundred under what It was last year,
when it sold for II and l1A cents at
Kansas City. Whether the trust VIII
try to meet the state price is not known
Heretofore the trust has tried to sen
its twine al a slight advance over the
state twine on the representation that
the state tWine was not as good as the
trust twine and that it would not run
as many feet to the pound. therepy
making the trust twine cheaper even
though the price per pound was Ut
tie more. This was doubtless true when
the state plant was first started, as the
machinery was new and the business
was not as we'll understood is 1t Is now,
but now the states twine is probably
just as good as any made
The output of the state plant tnls year
will be nearly double what it has been
heretofore. Warden Jewett will try to dis
tribute it as evenly as possible through
the wheat growing counties or wher-
ever there is a demand for IT, 50 as TO
give every section the advantages Oh II.
we reserve the right to sell to deal
ers in such quantities as we think best.
said Warden Jewett today. II we ala
not an attempt might be made by deal
ers in the employ OF the trust TO cor
ner the state supply and then the very
object for which the state plant was
esfa bIished would be defeated Then,
too. if we allowed the dealers in few
counties to have all they want It might
cut short the supply for some other part
Of the state and leave them at the
mercy of the trust dealers
Il don't anticipate that the trust will
trv to keep dealers from handling peni
tertiary twine by means of exclusive
agency contracts. At least I am in
formed that the Mccormick division OF
the international Harvester company
will not do so. and I do not think any
of them will That will leave all deal
/ ers free to handle the state twine if they
want to-
It was commonly supposed that the
bill prohibiting exclusive contra cts.
which was directed at the harvester
trust was passed by the legislature. but
it was afterward discovered that it was
withdrawn in the senate The fact that
/ it came near passing may have fright
/ ened the trust from attempting to force
+ the exclusive contract business on Kan.
! sas dealers this year.
The shipment of twine from the peni-
4 Tertiary plant to dealers will commence
j have sent in orders and Warden JeWett
/ has received great many inquiries from
over the wheat belt concerning the state
rwine and the price to be charged this
! year. One Sumner county dealer has in an
/ order for four car loads as starter
The penftentiary plant viii continue tie
manufacture of twine right UP to harvest
time If the supply of sisal holds out. a
/ Yucatan. but there has been difficulty in
getting it shipped north after il reaches
/ New Orleans or Mobile on account of the
great foods down the Mississippi. Five
car loads reached Lansing yesterday and
Warden Jewett hopes to keep enough sisaI
ahead to keep the plant running