Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-04-26
MANY USES FOR MOHAIR
OREGON MILL AT SELLWOOD
BEGINS OPERATION.
New Industry Will Encourage North
western Farmers to Increase
Flocks of AngOras.

On last Monday the plant of the
Multnomah Mohair Mills at Sellwood
started in operation and a new indus
try was launched on the Pacific Coast.
The first mohair mill to be established
West of the Mississippi River COM
menced manufacturing the wool of the
angora goat with a force of 40 fac
tory hands and this number will be in
creased as the materials become ready
for subsequent processes until the mill
will employ $50 hands within a few
weeks. At that time the full present
capacity of the mill will be reached
John e. Young, an experienced mo-
hair manufacturer from New England,
started the formation of a company
for the manufacture of the material
here about a year ago and soon bought
out the holdings of the woolen mills
located at Sellwood. Then construction
was started and after having imported
large quantity of the finest up-to-
date machinery the plant was ready
for operation last Monday. The plant
is located on an eight-acre tract, of
which but about one-tenth is occupied.
President Young expects to develop
the business in the future so as to
occupy the entire ground and to have
one of the greatest industries in the
city located on this property. The site
is located at the crossing of the Caz-
adero branch of the o. w. P. and the
Southern Pacific tracks.
Prices VIII Increase.
This factory will open up new
field of industry in the Northwest,
which has been allowed to fall away
somewhat owing to the lack of local
consumption of material. Now the
farmers will be encouraged to raise
angora goats for the new market,
which has been created. According to
President Young the new mills will
cause a decided increase in the prices
paid the farmer. Mr.. Young says
"There is now on the Pacific Coast
an annual clip of about 100000
pounds and the Coast mohair along
with the pro1uct of Texas and Arizona
constitutes the greater part of the
supply of the country. Our factory
will need about $50, 900 pounds year
at the start. At present we have
about 10000 pounds and are buying
right along rs April is the month for
buying. The prices locally have gone
UP already, being about 81 cents
pound now as opposed to 23 cents
year ago. These prices are about the
same as the English prices and with
the good protective tariff we will be
able to manufacture and compete
with the English manufactured goods.
We pay the farmers much better for
the finer grades of mohair, and as
result the breeders are beginning to
wake up and put in better stock. The
| freight rates are such that we, being
| located in the heart of the district
where the raw material is produced
can compete with the Eastern factor
| les as far East as Chicago in some in
stances even further.
Auto Tops to Be Made.
"Our product will be chiefly Innings
and automobile tops, for which there
is a steady demand, and we expect to
do our buying chiefly in oregon and
to hire principally local labor, al
though we have already brought in 10
families of textile weavers from the
factories of the East and as many
more will be required at once. This is
made necessary on account of the de-
mand for experienced hands to teach
the new hands the business.
1--WE are shaping everything toward
the future growth of the business. Our
plant is now built as single unit, re-
quiring a single set of foremen and
workers An S0-loom mill, such as we
have, comprises one unit, and as we
occupy with our buildings only about
one-tenth of the eight-acre tract own
ed by us, we will have plenty of
ground space for future enlargements." "
The new plant consists of an so
loom mill, with other machinery to
take care of the manufacture of the
product of this number of looms.
About one-half of the machinery
which has been installed had to be
imported from England This is all
the most modern and up-to-date ma
chinery used in this kind Of a mill. A
feature of the system of installation is
that each machine is operated by a
separate motor, doing away with the
necessity for a large shaft and belt
ing and the operating of the entire
plant to run a single machine. The
light used is the mercury vapor tube
system, which gives soft, greenish
light, which is especially easy on the
eyes and which at the same time
brings out the fiber clearly.
New Buildings Constructed.
There are five buildings in the plant
Two of these are new buildings and the
others are old buildings formerly oc-
cupied by the woolen mill plant. The
new buildings are a weave shed,
one-story brick building built with
saw-tooth roof, and a one-story bricl
powerhouse. The old structures are
two-story frame mill building. frame
warehouse and frame storage hous'
for chemicals. The plant represent
an outlay Of about $4,000.
The power for conducting the plan
Is taken from johnson Creek, which
furnishes $50 horsepower. There Is al
A., so large fire tube boiler for furnish
ing the steam and heat for the textil'
processes and for additional power.
When asked whether the farmer
!, could make any other use OF thei
goats except for mohair production
Mr.. Young said:
Although IL is not generally know
and ls not advertised by the meat com
panies. a large percentage Of the mea
supplied and sold as mutton IL NJ
other than goat meat The meat
much slgz.ilar and when the head an
r feet are cut on the difference is har
r to detect or course. the meat coul
q not be sold a. goats meat and 80
o placed on the market as mutton. tn
= farmers almost ali know this and tha
= Is one Of the factors which II addin
20 the goat raising industry through
) out the state. The value of goats 70
q clearing land has become 50 great tina
. some of the big timber companies ar
now preparing 70 run goats on the
land 10 derive the double benefits fror