The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-10-24

sheaf OF grain was bound, while the
Bismarck penitentiary plant lay as 81
lent as the tornbs, and let the farm
ers shift for themselves, and get their
twine as best they could.
AS to his statement that he quit
and closed the mill, there can be no
dispute, but in that part of his state-
ment where he claims that Irvine adj
vanced. after the Bismarck mill closed,
there is no truth so far as the large
manufacturers Of Irvine r concerned.
He makes the statement that he sold
about 3.119,400 pounds Of Irvine. TINS
statement is misleading. He evidently
wants the farmers to infer from this
that he manufactured n sold during
the season of 1912, 3.119,400 pounds OF
Irvine. Now, he manufactured very
much less than that, for hundreds OF
thousands of pounds Of this 3,119,4GO
pounds of twine were carried over
from the season of 1911. which was
made out of fibre that cost on an aver
age of 70 cents per hundred less than
ne fibre that was brought n manu-
featured into Irvine this year. The
depreciation in the c~arried-over Irvine
would amount to about so cents per
hundred. for there is no farmer but
what would pay so cents a hundred
more for new Irvine, than he would be
willing to pay for twine that was
Manufactured for the season of 1911.
In a nutshell. the farmers who bought
the hundreds of thousands of pounds
VI twine from Warden Hellstrom. that
was manufactured for the season OF
1911, paid $1.25 more. per hundred for
4 than they should nave paid, or rot
S1.25 less in value than the men who
bought twine which was manufactured
during the season of 1912.
He further claims that he saved the
farmers 2 cents a pound on every
ound of Irvine that has been manu-
featured in the Bismarck penitentiary
plant, since he has been warden, but
he furnishes no figuers to substanti-
ate this claim. Now, If he saved the
farmers 2 cents a pound on every
pound Of Irvine, that has been manu-
featured in the ~penitentiary since he
has been warden. then the farmers of
North Dakota have been paying
cents a pound less for their twine than
farmers have been paying in states
where there was no penitentiary Irvine
plants. An investigation of the price
paid by farmers for twine in the states
of Illinois. Iowa and Nebraska, where
there are no prison Irvine mills, shows
that farmers in these states paid a
lower average for the Irvine they
bought. than h OF North pa
kota have (after taking the difference
in freight into consideration for the
past six years.
If the penitentiary plant is to be
the protection that 1t should be to the
farmers of North Dakota, it mus be
kept In operation during emergencies,
such as we have passed through, in
stead of being closed down by q
warden and politician, who did not
have time to keep it in operation,
because he felt that it vas necessary
for him to spend his time looking
after a nomination, which he was out
for before the primaries, and after
such a nomination, devote his time at
tending chautauquas and hob-nobbing
with the politicians of the state, while
the Irvine mills throughout the country
were running night and dav to furnish
Irvine to save the crons of North Da-
kota. So far as the advance is con-
cerned, there might have been some
local cases, where the dealer went
out and bought cars of Irvine from
scalpers after 1t had passed out OF
the manufacturers hands, and sold II