Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-03-19
THE STATE IN
GENERAL
STATES BINDER TWiNE PLANT
is ONE OF THE VERY
FINEST.
MAKING BEGINS AT ONCE
With Capacity OF Twelve Thousand
Pounds DaiIy-Price Fised-The
Trust Will Find Competition Real.

The state OF Michigan will become
a manufacturer of binder twine this
week. Everything was in readiness
last week in the big new plant in jack
son prison. The machinery installed,
the raw material in the storeroom;
nothing remained but 10 turn on the
power. There were no opening cere-
monies. 1t was the wish of the prison
board that some special notice should
be taken of the occasion, but Warden
Armstrong would have none of it. The
plant Is one OF the finest and most
complete OF its kind in the country.
The legislature appropriated $4,000
for the buildings, and this has been
put TO excellent use. The factory prop
er is made of paving brick, is three
stories high and its floor dimensions
are 60 feet by 225 feet. Ii is absolutely
fireproof, in addition TO which every
precaution has been taken against the
iiames. A system of automatic doors
between the departments has been in
stalled, as there Is a complete sprink-
Ter system.
Only two floors of this building are
to be put in use; the third will wait
for the growth of the business.
In the big new storage house a few
rods away is piled the raw material
$1,000 600 worth of il. The state appro-
priated sl25,000 as a working fund, so
that the enterprise now has on hand
$500
The state was fortunate in finding
an adequate means of marketing its
Irvine. The Cleaners. one of the two
great farmers organizations. has un-
dertaken to handle the entire output
In the state this society has L. JIG ar
bors, OF lodges, and each one of these
becomes an agency for the prison
twme plant. Order blanks are sent to
the heads Of the arbors and these Off
GERS see the farmers in their neigh
borhoods. get their orders and send
them 10 Warden Armstrong.
That the state will be paid for every
ounce OF the Irvine is certain, for the
! Cleaners are held responsible for all
orders taken by them. This society as
not permitted TO monopolize the Irvine.
IL cannot sell to its members to the
exclusion OF other farmers, but must
permit all 10 share in the purchase.
An effort was made 10 divide the
business between the Cleaners and the
| State Grange, but, - is said. the latter
organization made arrangements for
its next years needs in the binder
twine line in Canada
The price set by the state on its
Irvine is 1875 per hundred pounds,
cash with the order, or $500 with cash
| October l.
II am going to make Irvine Monday.
said Supt. Brewer to the governor last
Thursday. THE trust has been send.
ing letters TO the farmers stating that
we would not start the manufacture
before June. They have even said our
buildings were not completed, and
hat we couldn't make Irvine anyway
Well, We'll show them. | guarantee 10
make 10000 pounds of Irvine in this
plant in an eight-hour day"
Il am delighted with the way In
which orders have been coming ia. ]:
il continues like this We will have to
put on two shifts of men. am glad
this plant is going TO be success. IL
means a great deal
AS the governor was conducted
through the plant he examined every
portion OF ii, every machine, every
belt with minutest care. Mr.. Brewer
explained the system OF manufacture
from the moment the bales of raw ma
terial are received until it is shipped
out IN balls
Warden Armstrong is also enthusi
astic. I'VE will soon be at work filling
these orders" he said as he held up q
big package of cnvlopes. The way
they have been coming in has been q
complete surprise to me-
a force of 60 To- 40 men will be re
CURED in the plant. and VI. Brewer
says 1t will not take iong 10 train
them into skilled ar effective work
men.