Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-15
BIG SAVING ON TwlNE.
Yucatan commissio Indicates Econ
omy of $4,000, coo This Year.

1t row appears from the facts and
figures submitted to members of con-
gress by DR.. Victor A. Rendon, general
attorney of the Yucatan State Hene-
quen Commission, that the American
farmers who use binding twine will be
saved $10,000,00O, or more, this year
in consequence Of the action of the
Yucatan commission in holding down
the price of sisal fiber.
Within the past three weeks the
price of Manila hemp, which is used
extensively in the manufacture OF
binding twine, has scared from 101s
cents per pound to 14N cents, whereas
the price of Yucatan sisal has been
held steady, with but one increase OF
a fraction of cent, due solely to an
other rise in the freight rate between
Progreso and New York. Ray sisal
is now selling for tx cents, delivered
in New York, and as about 10 per cent
of the binding Irvine consumed in tho
United States is manufactured from
that fiber it means that the farmers
CT the United States will be able to
purchase their supply of twine this
year at around 9 cents per pound, al
lowing a reasonable profit to the man
ufacturerS. H.
Owing to the great shortage in the
Manila and Yucatan hemp crops and
the impra cticability of securing raw
hemp products from Africa. New Zea-
land and the countries now engaged
in the European war, there is strong
demand in the United States for every
bale of binding Irvine fiber obtainable.
Considering that during the past fiji
teen years the average difference in
the prices of Manila hemp and Yucca
tan sisal has been about 2 cents per
pound, the present relative price OF
sisal would be about II cents per
pound, or nearly cents pound high
err than the Yucatan state commission
is asking for the product. Nor can
it be doubted that the commission
could dispose of every bale in its pos
session at the higher figure, as every
sisal grower in Yucatan is now utiliz
ing the state commission as selling
agency; in other words, the regulating
commission controls the market of Yu-
catan sisal for the benefit of the grow
ers of that state
In view of the fact that Yucatan's
production of sisal this season will
total approximately 3OO,000,000 pounds,
the regulating commissions action in
holding the price down to a point 5
cents below what is considered its rel
alive value based upon the price OF
Manila hemp means that the Amer
lean farmers, on the basis of present
quotations, are assured this saving of
approximately s15,00O,00O this year.
However, when one considers the prob
able range of prices for the entire sea-
son. it is claimed that the saving to
American farmers by reason of the
Yucatan commissions action will be
around s10.O000O0.
A few weeks ago. when 1t was first
announced that the sisal growers Of
Yucatan had effected an absolute con-
troll of the marketing of their crops
thru the medium of the Commission
Reguladora del Mercado de Henequen."
there was a how. from the American
farmers who feared the Yucatan COM
mission would arbitrarily force the
price Of sisal so high that binding
tTine prices would be almost prohibi-
tiVe-T Instead of using its power t.
force prices for binding Irvine, how
ever it would appear now that the
American grain farmers have to thank
the Yucatan commission for keeping
down the prices of Irvine this season.