Arizona republican., 1919-11-16
Money
Cheerfully
Refunded
BROOM FACTORY
To CLEAN STATE
WITH PRODUCTS

There is no reason why Phoenix
should not keep clean. And as a re-
suit Of this cleanliness there is no
reason why the ranchers of the val
ley should not go in for raising crop,
which will bring in as rich a profit
as cotton. The answer to the riddle
is "brooms" and broom corn" for
the one is being made in Phoenix
every day, and the crop can be raised
here If ranchers are made familiar
with the large profit to be derived.
The Arizona Broom manufacturing
company, located at Third avenue and
Sherman street has been in existence
only few months. 1t came into being
after great difficulties, and still OBJ
stacles are lying in its way, but at the
present time daily output of rs dozen
brooms is being put on the market in
Phoenix. In a few months when more
men have been trained to be skilled
broom makers, the output will extend
to at least rs dozen.
The making Of broom is a peculiar
process. 1t starts way back in Texas
as far as this factory is concerned
where the broom corn is grown. The
corn is worth if it is good around $40t
a ton. 1t is shipped here at great ex-
pense. If the valley ranchers would
! go in for raising it, the cost of brooms
would drop. For instance one car Of
broom corn from Texas a week age
cost the company $3.50 in freight.
AS soon as the baled corn arrives
here it is started on it's long journey
to the dusty floors OF Arizona. FRS
| it is bleached, then it is graded, FOL
there are seven varieties of broom.
made here, all according to weign
and quality of the corn used. Aftel
it has gone through the bleachin:
process, it is graded. 1t must pass
through four peoples hands before tn,
different varieties have been segre
gated. The corn is then placed in +;
hopper to thresh out the grain, az
then to the machinery it goes.
1t is not a very complicated process
this making Of a broom, but it is in
teresting. OF course machinery il
used, but the human element enter
a great deal. The grading is done b,
hand, the estimating of how much corr
to go into a broom is merely optica
in nature, and the Placing of the corr
on the broom handle is accomplish,
by hand with the aid of a spool o
wire and foot propelled machinery.
After the corn has been attached L
the handle, it goes to the stitche:
which, of course, is done by machinery
/, Talk about sewing machines, why the
have one down there which sews up
, broom so tight and in suoh short tim
: that it fairly takes the breath away
G. r. Gibbs and D. A. Arnold,
, practical broom man, whom it
! claimed grew up with a broom in hi
hand, are at the head of the new fac
} tory. They selected Phoenix as tn
, place to build their factory, becaus
, they believed it offered the best ad
: vantages. At the present time the
! believed it offered the best advantage
/. At the present time there is no brooI
corn raised here. but they expect t
interest the valley ranchefs in its Pre-
7 duction within a short lime. The fat
that at least three crops can be raise
D here to be sold at from $500 to $3.50
: ton makes 1t appear to them as a log
s ical crop with which to diversity II
!, great amount of cotton grown her
] 1t is also possible to get around to
} to an acre from good land, they say.
e. Broom corn to be Of the best We
riety must not be long, but short ar
thick. There are ranchers In Texs
who would rather raise the broom Dor
than cotton. 1t is going to be the mi.
( sion of the Arizona Broom manufat
e turing company to convince rancho
here that they would too.
The broom industry here was boz
!. amidst considerable la.bo:. Ii has BET
necessary to pick unskille1 men al
= teach them. They are paid straig
: wages until they become skilled al
then the work is piece entirely, wi
: a scale allowing very high wages. !
/; the present time there are only tv
skilled laborers in the factory, b
a a half dozen others are rapidly reacl
n ing the point where they can cor
,. pete with their imported brethren.