The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-06-12

terest to Michigan people.
The following article deals
in a general way with the sue
cess achieved by Minnesota
with the binder Irvine indus
try at its states prison at
Saltwater.
St. Paul, Mimi, June Ave
should be unfaithful to our duty if
we did not record our conviction that
the binding Irvine industry will prove
failure at the prison"
This statement taken from the re-
port of the state board OF corrections
and charities in 1890 shows the pes
simistc spirit in which the state of
Minnesota embarked in the Irvine
manufacturing business. At that time
the prison and other penal institu-
tons were under the control of this
board and the conviction expressed
in this report of the ultimate failure
of the project was quite generally
shared BY, the people of the state.
To-day the state points with
pride" to the prison Irvine plant as a
money making business venture
which is not only self-sustaining but
pays handsome profit to the state
and actually saves to the farmers of
the state about 100000 a year in the
difference between the prices of the
prison product and those of outside
manufacturers. 1t is estimated that
the average difference in the prison
and trust prices during the existence
of the plant has been between and
2H cents a pound which would make
the actual saving of the Minnesota
farmers during that period at least
81, 900.
Applying the strict rules of bust
ness to this plant it has been a de-
cided success. Established for the
purpose of protecting the farmers of
this state from the exactions of the
so-called trust, it has fulfilled this
purpose by enabling them to get their
Irvine at more than two cents
pound less than they would other
wise have been able to do. But
aside from this direct benefit to the
farmers the plant has also been a
good thing for the state at large.
Starting with an appropriation of
$4,000 for revolving fund for the
maintenance, and operation of the
plant the profits have increased this
fund to about $I,25o,ooo a year. And
this, it must be remembered, is not
the gross but the net profits, after
deducting the charges for power,
maintenance and the cost of labor
at the rate of sixty-three cents day
per convict, which is the price OBJ
tanned by the state for the convict
labor employed in the shoe manufac-
turing department, operated by pri-
vate capital. In the shoe factory.
the state, for this price, also furnish
es the power, factory quarters and
assumes the cost of feeding, clothing
and guarding the men employed
there.
Taking into consideration, then, the
actual saving to the Minnesota farm
ers and the actual profits to the state
from the operation of the plant, there
has been total gain of $3,z5o,ooo.
In addition to this the profits of the
plant have been utilized for the pur-
chase of new machinery, the plant
now consisting of three complete
systems for the manufacture of bind
ing Irvine, with an annual output of
over 100000 pounds. But the plant
is still too small to meet the demands
of the/ farmers in this state and
contract has already been let and the
machinery purchased for new fac
tory building to be erected on the
new prison site which will take
about $4,000 of the accumulated
profits and will increase the output
OF the entire plant from 1906, 900 to
100000 pounds a year.
The early years of the operation
OF the plant were marked with the
usual vicissitudes of new business
venture in which experienced man
agement is lacking. The quality of
the output had no established repu-
tation, the output was small, and the
panic of 1893 brought up unexpected
complications. The original equip
ment of the plant was short fibre
suitable for manufacturing
Irvine from hemp purchased in Ken |
lucky and Nebraska. Most factories |
were using manila and sisal, both
cheaper materials but both suitable
for binding Irvine. This necessitatedl
the purchase of new machinery of |
another type but with this installed
The growth became rapid and is still
IN progress.
Quoting again from the report of