The manufacturing of threads, twines, and yarn from flax or hemp is slowly increasing, although the imports are still too large, and we can not as yet make the finer grades where the item of labor enters very largely into the cost.

The imports of linen piece-goods are on a large scale, and amount to about $13,000,000, and the duty collected is over $4,500,000.

Commercial reports show that the United Kingdom of Great Britain exported 152,314,800 yards of linen piece-goods, of which 83,116,500 yards were exported to the United States, the value of these exports to this country being £1,965,480, or nearly $10,000,000 in invoice value. There are only a few mills weaving linens in this country, although others are contemplated, and these are to make coarse crashes and similar linens. The duty on yarns is 35 per cent. ad valorem, and this is none too much to protect American yarn spinners, and even with this duty over 750 tons of flax yarns were imported last year. The duty on linen piece-goods is only the same as that on yarns of which the cloth must be made, affording no protection for the weaving and finishing of the cloth. This duty should be advanced to encourage linenweaving mills, and this will also stimulate the flax-spinning mills by making an increased market for yarns.

Summary of the imports, duties, and the amount of protection given to fibers and textiles.

NOTE-Flax, hemp, jute, and manufactures of," are second in amount of invoice value of imports of textiles and fibers, but pay the smallest amount in duties and have the least protection.

Senator BECK. Have you separately the amount of flax, hemp, and jute, or do you aggregate them?

Mr. TURNER. I aggregate them there, but in the first statement I presented it is all given in detail.

Estimate of the amount of capital invested in textile industries in the United States, with the amount of protection afforded cach industry,

The figures named show that the manufacturing business in flax and hemp in the United States is smaller than the other textiles, and has at present the least protection, and yet the imports of tax, hemp, jute, and manufactures of, are larger in invoice value of imports than silk or cotton. "Flax, hemp, jute, and manufactures of," are fourth in importance of the invoice value of all imports, yet they rank twenty-eighth in the list of protected articles, all other leading articles of manufacture having greater protection than "flax, hemp, and jute."

As stated in the first part of this paper, the wages paid are two and a half times the average wages paid throughout Europe. Here is a detailed statement showing the amount of wages paid in Europe :

Average rates of wages paid in the flax-spinning trade.

EUROPE AND AMERICA.

[Mark, equal to 23.8 cents; rouble, equal to 50 cents; franc, equal to 19 cents.]

Average rates of wages paid in the flax-spinning trade-Continued.

EUROPE AND AMERICA-Continued.

Drawing.
Doffers

1.93

1.50

.75

Work 72 hours per week. Work 72 hours per week. Work 60 hours

per week.

Senator HISCOCK. You want also, I suppose, free jute and free jute butts?

Mr. TURNER. As stated, these estimates are made without reference to sisal, manila, or jute. The Russian and Italian hemp are similar, in many respects, to the hemp of Kentucky, but the product is quite a different article from sisal, and manila, and jute, which is outside of our range, and we have not included it.

Senator BECK. What is hemp exclusively used for now?

Mr. TURNER. You refer now to American hemp?

Senator BECK. I speak of hemp.

Mr. TURNER. For cordage and twine.

Senator BECK. Binding twine principally?

Mr. TURNER. Yes, sir. I will state that several members of our delegation present have paid particular attention to special branches; one in relation to raw flax and raw hemp, another to the dressed line of flax, which is a partially manufactured article. We find that documents are being circulated here to try and convey the idea that dressed line flax is the raw material. There is one gentleman here who has charge of a mill recently started in this country and formerly superintended one abroad, and he will be able to give you figures. Unless there are other direct questions that the committee would like to ask me I will give way to some of these other gentlemen.

The CHAIRMAN. I understand you to say in a general way that sunn, sisal, jute, etc., do not interfere with your products?

Mr. TURNER. Only indirectly.

The CHAIRMAN. But suppose the raw material, the grasses, were put on the free list, what would be the effect on raw hemp?

Mr. TURNER. Sunn, sisal, and manila, specifying those three?

The CHAIRMAN. And jute?

Mr. TURNER. I give it as my personal opinion that they would not interfere materially with the flax and hemp industry in this country. The CHAIRMAN. That is, flax growers and hemp growers?

Mr. TURNER. No, sir.

Senator ALDRICH. You neither represent the growers nor manufacturers of these articles?

Mr. TURNER. I neither represent the growers nor the manufacturers of sisal, manila, or jute.

Senator BECK. Can you make twine to bind wheat out of any of these other articles, such as jute or sisal grass, or sunn grass, or manila or; does it require a stronger fiber to bind grass with? Do you know about that?

Mr. TURNER. I will leave that for Mr. Allan to speak about. He has given special attention to this.

Mr. TURNER submitted the following papers:

ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, MR. A. R. TURNER, JR., TO THE CONVENTION OF FLAX AND HEMP SPINNERS AND GROWERS, FEBRUARY 10, 1887.

Flax and Hemp Spinners and Growers' Association :

GENTLEMEN: This is the fifth annual meeting of the Flax and Hemp Spinners and Growers' Association; and the work already accomplished, taken in connection with the increasing interest in the flax and hemp industry in all its branches, proves the value of our association.

The large importations of flax and its products, and the waste of flax fiber grown in this country, while we have rich lands and suitable climate for the proper development of flax culture, also show that the work before us is very great, if we are to continue and make successful our efforts to build up and establish the linen industry on a sound basis in this country.

The meeting of the association in Chicago one year ago called together a large number of interested parties. The grower, the flax and hemp merchant, and the manufacturer were fully represented, and the interchange of opinions was productive of good results. A large line of samples of flax and hemp and their products was shown at the meeting, the growers bringing samples of fiber of their raising, and the manufacturers explaining their needs and showing samples of many grades of imported fiber suited to their requirements. Never before had the grower and manufacturer met in convention and by personal exchange of views endeavored to work together for their mutual interest.

A convention of such importance as the one at Chicago must be allowed a liberal time before its work can be fully realized, but already the results of the meeting are apparent. Many inquiries are coming from farmers and business men in the West asking for information and expressing a desire to establish flax and linen industries. The Racine Business Men's Association, of Racine, Wis., appointed a committee to see what can be done in their vicinity to build up a linen business, and after consider ing the matter they have wisely decided to aid in the raising of good flax on the farms near their town, and when they shall have succeeded in getting out the proper grades, to follow then with the manufacture of the flax by spinning and weaving. Another association has been formed at Green Bay, Mich., where there are many farmers and farin laborers who were brought up in the flax-raising districts in Europe, and who understand in every detail the cultivation and preparation of flax. This new association is established for the purpose of cultivating flax and promoting a general commerce in flax goods, and they have already ordered 15,000 pounds of selected flaxseed from Europe. Mr. Eugene Bosse, who has had twenty years' experience in the flax business in Europe, is one of the managers of the company.

The crop of over one million acres of flax in the United States, raised principally for the seed, shows that the profit from the seed alone is enough to warrant this large

acreage.

If the raising of wheat and corn has been so unremunerative as to make it profitable to raise flax simply for the seed, it would seem that the time and care and skill necessary to raise a crop of flax for the fiber would be well expended. The surplus of our wheat is exported and sold at a low price, but we import our flax, while we have soil and natural resources to grow much of it in our own country. The freights on the wheat exported are deducted from the price obtained, while on flax imported we pay freights in addition to a protective duty. Most of our linens come from Europe, and yet we have many advantages for raising flax with which to begin the weaving of coarse linen fabrics. The low prices paid for labor in Europe and possible undervaluations in entering goods may account for the very low prices at which linen piece goods are sold in this country. If we can have labor-saving machines for harvesting and preparing tax, these, with our natural advantages, will give us a fiber at a low price; and if the raw material can be produced at a low figure, we can then make great progress in manufacture. Much attention is now being given to the invention of machinery for handling flax, and good results in this direction must soon be attained.

The scutching-machine invented by M. Jules Cardon is now working in many mills in Europe, and I am glad to know that it is attracting attention in the United States. To-day we are to see the working of the machine and judge for ourselves of its merits. Mr. H. D. McMaster, one of our members, will later in the meeting explain to you fully the working of the Cardon machine and speak of the results already obtained.

The retting of flax by improved methods is commanding attention, and an article worthy of mention has apeared in a trade report, in Lille, France, referring to a process invented by M. Parsy, who claims by "submitting the flax to the action of water under a pressure of about 150 centigrade of temperature, and then terminating the operation by replacing the water by steam equally under pressure and at the same degree of temperature," flax can be well retted.

M. Parsy further says: "Under the action of warm water the transformation of pectose cominences. The steam permits me afterwards to maintain the temperature necessary to terminate the transformation of pectine into pectic acid without losing any of this precious matter. I make the complete operation of retting in about one hour and a half."

He, with others, claims "that the substance which unites the fibers of the green flax is neither a gum nor a resin, but pectose, which in the retting is transformed into pectic acid."

By his invention he claims to arrive at the separation of the fiber from the wood, "but, however, without taking away the gummy resinous matter, because the spinning-mill does not know what to do with flax when this matter has been taken away." The inventions of retting and scutching just named are not the only ones looking to improved results with a saving of expense in the handling of flax, for we find many active minds at work upon this subject; and whatever may have been accomplished up to this time, we may safely predict that in the near future processes and machines will be invented or perfected which will prove of great value to the flax and hemp industry.

I refer to these inventions for the purpose of bringing them to your notice, and would suggest that you investigate them fully.

The machinery for the manipulation of cotton and wool has been improved each year, while similar improvements have not taken place in the invention of machinery for manufacturing flax and hemp.

The products of cotton have become so cheap that we must make special effort in the direction of improved machinery for the production of linen goods or we shall find that the great difference in the price of linen and cotton goods will further limit the consumption of the former.

The farmers in New York State have a good knowledge of the cultivation of flax; and among the farmers of the West we find a large number who have come from the flax-growing countries of Europe, and are fully informed of all the details of flax cultivation. Therefore the principal inquiries which have come to me have not been as to the method of sowing or caring for flax, but as to the grades desired and the demand existing for the fiber in the United States.

There must of necessity be many farmers who will need direct information regarding flax culture and the preparation of the fiber, and I trust we shall aid them in this so far as may be in our power.

The farmers also need to know that good flax fiber will command a market; and one result of our meeting at Chicago has been to inform them on this subject, and good results may be expected during the coming year.

The planting, cultivating, and marketing of wheat and corn have been reduced to a science; and if we can aid in bringing forward improved machinery for planting, cultivating, and harvesting flax and hemp, it will be welcomed by the farmers.

A committee was appointed at our last meeting to visit Washington and protest against any reduction in the duty upon imported fibers. Your committee performed the duty assigned them, and visited Washington at the time of the consideration of the Morrison tariff bill by the Ways and Means Committee, and entered an earnest protest in behalf of this association.

It is a pleasure to state that the crop of American hemp raised in 1886 was larger than for many years, the average estimate for the crop being about 10,000 tons.

The crop of Russian hemp has at times during the past few years been of indifferent quality, and there is a growing demand for twines made from American hemp. Sisal hemp, from which most of the binder twine has been made for the last two years, has ruled high in price for the past few months, and I hope that with a good erop of American hemp at a reasonable price, we can again make and sell this twine from fiber raised in the United States.

At the price at which American hemp binder twine can be sold to-day, and with the advantages it possesses, can not the farmers be induced to look more carefully into its claims, and aid in the use of twine made from the product of our own soil rather than of that made from imported hemp?