The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-10
Scranton Has Plan to Start
Factory There.
PLANT Has RARE QUALITIES
Fiber PartAkeS of Properties OF
SIX and COttOn-It Has Long Been
Forms TO Utilize One of the Com
nOn Weeds OF the South.

( Scranton, Pa, Jan. "a proposition
( has been brought 10 the attention OF the
[ Scranton Board Of Trade by New York
parties who have secured a charter for
the manufacture OF raimIe fiber and re-
quire some S201.o10 TO prosecute the plan
I The company was organized. but as a
result Of the depression Of last year the
manufacture could not Be pushed II on
investigation the claims presented are as
represented. the promoters have a good
thing Scranton would be a center for
such a manufacture. providing the COM
mittee ind that the wOndrous qualities
of rainie fber have not been Overstated-
The raimie plant belongs 10 the nettIe
family. IS a native Of warm climates. the
Southern States. and grows as far north
IS New Jersey Florida. Louisiana,
Georgia. and Alabama are specially rich
/ in its production. OF rather It grows
there pTofusely. i Is cottony and siIken.
yet II Is adapted for many uses. tire speci-
mems shown Secretary Edgar being in
linen. silk. wool, burlap wall paper,
stockings for gas nantes. and some
very fine material, the finest known
Long Used in China
The fiber has long been manufactured
in China. and the bundles sent here from
that country look Ike broom corn When
cut II produces a fiber from two and a
I half 10 eight inches. comparing more "a
vorably than cotton, which il exceeds
by twice the length.
L has ten times the strength Of cotton.
eight times the strength OF FAX. and three
times the strength OF Manila hemp This
last claim Of the promoters Of this raj
ME industry is most important. For
clothes they claim superiority in sheen
and fneness. and especially for dress
goods. The specimens bear out all these
claims This rafrnie fiber is manufac-
tured on a small scale in parts Of Ger
many. Switzerland. and France But the
New York concern which seeks 70 inter-
est capital here claims il has certain
formulas and new invented machinery
which reduce the costs OF manufacture
In Germany. for Instance. these pTOmOt-
ers say. with a ten-hour run. and with
machinery costing S12.500, $50 pounds OF
raimie fiber only are manufactured
The. propose with their new machinery,
costing but sl100, 10 treat 500 pounds and
with one man. where in Germany they
have four. The labor charges are re
duced at least one-thirtieth- The new
machinery is almost automatic.
No Factory fn America
Considering the fact that there is no
factory for the manufacture OF raimie
fiber in the United States. the promoters
feel that their proposition IS a good one
Given Germany. Switzerland. and
France, II is estimated that there are
only six manufactures Of the stuff in the
whole world The Chinese make raimie
up entirely BY hand Their output singly
is but three pounds Per day Raimie
contains about . per cent gum When
liren IS 10 be made per cent Of this
I'm is left IN the fiber This gives il
The proper hardness. When silk is to be
made out OF the fiber the sum IS all
taken out And what is true Of the linen
and silk Is also true Of the raimie cotton.
which cannot be compared with the Ordi-
nary materials The drawn cotton, the
finest known. US used for ascepJic pur-
poses in all the French hospitals
The proposition to establish Tainie
manufacturing here. If approved by the
board OF trade. should appeal II IS Ger
tainiy worth the trouble Of Investigating.
as the claims advanced are simply mar
velous and backed Up by the finest speci-
mems known TO the trade.