The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-02-16
Ptted many times before this. Let
Ebe thankful that it is no worse and
Re one another.
BINDING TWINE AT COST.

hefS oppose Measure to Use Binding
Twine Profits 10 Build New Prison.
ainnesota farmers are up in arms
against the bill to use binding Irvine
profits to erect the new State peniten-
tiary.
1.-The prison bill is simply a scheme
to- make the farmers of Minnesota,
who buy binding Irvine, pay for the
new State PRISON. says a
member of the prison committee,
land we do not propose to do it. The
profits Of the State prison come from
the farmers. We do not furnish the
criminals that fill the penitentiary. It
iszthe cities and villages that do that.
Len the new prison be built by taxa
top of which they pay their just share,
and give binding Irvine to the farmers
atNcost.'
At meeting of the house binding
tWlne committee last week a special
committee composed of Representa-
tivAs j. r. Morley of Owatonna. b.
C.sBlock of Main Prairie and John
LaRdeen of Garfield was appointed to
drift a bill and an amendment to the
revised laws requiring that binding
tW1he be sold to Minnesota farmers at
COZ. .
Hon. J. F. jacobson, member of
thef board of control, is vigorously
OPPOSING the bill. He says:
The State has about $685. in
ve4ed in the Irvine plant and $50, 900
revolving fund in connection with the
plaht. The profits of the plant since
desperation, for three years. amount
to 300, 900. Irvine can be proftably
ma ufactured only by making large
ad Nance purchases and to manufacture
10, 900 pounds of Irvine, as the
5plaft did last year, required an ex-
penaiture of approximately 100000.
WeNsed $3.50, 900, and the members of
the board with Warden Henry Wolfer,
borrowed 100000 for the use of the
Stale on our own responsibility. We
have no legal right to do this, and if
theplant should burn I do not know
JUST what we should do. The result
was that the plant was, operated to
its fullest capacity, and the farmers
bought 100000 pounds of Irvine at
'twoEcents a pound less than the trust
prices.
fhe STATE made less SIS than half
cent apound on the product. and the
margin of profit would have been still
further reduced had the prison man
agement figured the prison labor at
its actual value. We figured it at fifty
cents a day per man, but we should
have charged an additional twenty
five cents a day for the keep of the
man. All our profits have gone into
the development of the plant and the
revolving fund required to success
fully operate it. Had the Block bill
been enacted ten years ago the State
would have been manufacturing less
than 2,500,0 pounds of Irvine year
and the saving to the farmers from
trust prices would have been lust that
much reduced.
"We have 100 men in the prison that
we must use somewhere. We plan to
buy land and to build new buildings
from the profits of the institution. It
is unfortunate that we cannot enlarge
the plant in the present prison. But
we can't do it.
$50 we have decided to ask the leg
lslature to let us use the money we
have made and will make to expand.
We have to have 100000 to start with.
1t does not make the least bit of differ
ence to the board whether the legisla-
ture appropriates the money or we are
allowed to take it from our earnings,
but 1 believe the better plan is to
leave us alone.
There is another side to this ques-
ton. How about the farmers whose
lack OF credit or ready cash prevents
them from enjoying the benefits of
purchasing prison-made Irvine. They
are paying taxes to make Irvine for the
more successful farmer who is enabled
to buy the prison Irvine at lower prices.
Have Mr.. Block and his friends
thought of that feature of the case? If
the legislature will let us alone we will
within a very few years make Irvine
enough to supply the 100000 to
100000 pounds annually used in
Minnesota. I sincerely hope that the
Block bill will not pass the legisla-
ture, and I do not believe that the
thinking farmers of the State will de-
sire to cripple the prosperity of the
Irvine plant
A Santiago Wedding Announced.
Invitations are out for double
wedding in Santiago in the near fu-