The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-03-29
BINDING Irvine
WILL Be SCARCE
WARDEN REDFIELD SETS OUT
REASON FOR SCARCITY AND
HIGHER PRICES
PEMNEMTIARY Irvine NEARLY SOLD OUT
Institutions In Other States In Same
Condition-Will BE Serious Prob
lem For Farmers

From Warden Redfield Of the state
penitentiary which has furnished a
large share of the Irvine used in this
state for several years. the Register
has received the following explanation
Of the Irvine situation in this and other
states:
Normally the state uses sixteen mil
lion pounds Of Irvine each year. The
plant at the state ~penitentiary will
manufacture this year up to July LIST,
1917, three million, one hundred thous-
and pounds. This is In excess of any
amount manufactured in any previous
year. The price of Irvine as manufac-
tured by the state is fixed by commits.
sion, composed of the Governor, State
Auditor, State Board Of Charities and
Corrections and the Warden of the
p%enitentiary.
The raw material to be used in the
output this year was purchased several
months & at a market value then
that would allow the price of twinesto
be fixed at II SAC in one thousand
pound lots or less. This is the actual
cost of material, plus maintenance of
the men who work in the Irvine plant.
You no doubt will be interested in
the system used in selling the output
Of Irvine in years past. About the first
of November, the representative will
call upon the Farmers Elevator Com
panies and secure their contract for
their needs for the coming season. Dur
ing the past years the prison has de-
pended almost entirely upon the Farm
ers' Elevator Companies to take the
entire output. Many of the Farmers
Elevator Companies of the state have
been regular customers for Irvine since
the plant was started in 1909. This
system OF sales has been followed dur
ing the present year. The entire out
put Of the plant was contracted for by
Farmers Elevator Companier before
the first day of March. 1917, with the
exception of $50, 900 pounds, which is
being held for filling individual orders.
The entire output of the plant has
been distributed to 106 Farmers Ele-
vators in thirty-four counties in the
by law and under contract to sell this
Irvine on not to exceed one cent profit.
Many of them are selling at actual
cost
At the present time there is on hand
125. 900 pounds of Irvine which will be
sold in lots not to exceed 500 pounds 20
actual users; when this 125,OO0 pounds
is sold, it will be necessary to raise
the price of prison made twine. The
present market value of sisal. (from
which the Irvine is manufactured) is
Is 5-8c f. O. b. New Orleans. To show
you something of the shortage of this
product, in March, 1916. there was re-
ceived at American ports 113, 500 bales
of sisal. The estimated receipts for
March, 1917, is 33, 900 bales.
/ might further say that this instItu-
ton ordered the first week in Febru-
airy, 1000 bales of sisal at 16 LAC f. O.
b. New Orleans, and only a part of this
order has been received. Since that
date the institution has been unable
to buy any more material, owing to the
scarcity. But for the impossibility Of
securing raw material. we would have
put on a night shift and increased the
output Of the plant.
The conditions which exist here are
similar to those which prevail in sur
rounding states.
I trust that l have made this sufic-
iently plain, so you will thoroughly I'M