The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-08 00:00:00

THE SILK TRADE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THB BRITISH PRESS.

Sta,—From the very able manner in which the most
important subjects connected with the general intern: are
discussed in your columns, I shall offer no apology for
submitting to the public, through the medium of the
BRITISH Parse, such observations on the present most
critical situation of the silk trade, as may serve to etplain
certain views of the subject which have not hitherto been
sufficiently adverted to, and which, I trust, when fairly
developed and fully understood, will be found not unde-
serving of attention.
His Majesty's Ministers, I am satisfied, are aincerely
desirous of promoting the best interests of the British silk
trade, by authorising the importation of foreign wrought
after the sth July next, at an ad valorem duty of 30
per cent. The British silk manufacturers, on the other
hand, urgently appeal against this measure, as favouring
the foreign manufacturer at their expense, and opening a
channel of utter ruin to their trade. On this question
both parties are at issue. If it be true that we cannot
compete with the French manufacturer after the new law
shall have come into operation, and that this can be
proved to the satisfaction of Government, that law ought
no doubt to be rescinded ; and the known liberality of Go-
vernment justifies the belief that it would be rescinded.
But if this be not true—or, being true, cannot be proved
to be so—it must in fairness be admitted that Ministers are
well warranted in persisting in that line of policy which
they have iodinated their determination to pursue.
The parties whose interests are the most deeply involved in
the result of this step, are two—the Silk TitanwserkS, and
the Silk MA NUFACIT az its. They are therefore the parties
who have the strongest claim to be heard. The silk
throwsters aver that if an adequate protecting duty is not
levied on the importation of foreign thrown silk, their mills
must stop, anti they must either abandon their works or
be ruined. But the question here occurs, Xi'hat is an ade-
quate protecting duty? This question is not easily an-
swered. The throwsters vary greatly, among themselves,
as to the cost price of throwing organzine in this country.
Some few of their number—they are, however, but few—
admit that ss. per pound would afford them a remune-
rating price; and therefore that a duty of Ss. per pound
would be protection sufficient; and it was probably in
consequence of this admission, and the arguments grounded
upon it, that, by an Order in Council of the 15th ult., the
duty was reduced to ss. per pound on all undyed foreign
thrown silks. Now I affirm, without hesitation, that if
Ministers persevere in imposing this duty, the British silk
manufacturers will be wholly excluded from all com-
petition with those of the Continent ; the latter being
able to come into the market at a cheaper rate, which
will be better explained by comparing the situation of the
manufacturer of the two countries. The manufacturer in
France pays on the foreign thrown silks only a duty of 10d.
per pound, whereas the English must pay 55., therefore the
former has an advantage over the latter of 4s. 241. per
pound on the prime cost of all foreign thrown silks. Now
taking the value of these to he 90s. per pound on the ave-
rage, it will be seen that the French manufacturer can pro-
duce his wrought silks at about 14 per cent. cheaper than
the English, as far as it regards the cost of the first material.
If, therefore, the French manufacturer, in addition to the
above indisputable advantage over the English, possesses,
as it is reasonably assumed, others of considerable import-
ance, such as superiority and cheapness in dying—greater
skill in manufacturing, and lower price of labour—how can
he expect to contend with success against such rivals? All
this requires great consideration, and either the legislature
must place him upon at least an equal footing as far as re-
gards the cost of the raw material, or the exertions of the
British manufacturer will be hopeless. The import
duty in France upon thrown silk being, as I have
just stated, nut quite toil. per pound, and the ex-
pense of throwing averaging from 2s. 6d. to 4s. per pound,
supposing the home manufacture to be freed from ail dis-
couragement, and to prosper accordingly, could the
throwsters furnish all that could be required ? I answer,
without fear of contradiction, they could not. The demand
under such circumstances would exceed (at least for the
present) their means of supply. llow, moreover, can the
English mills compete with those of Italy? I will admit
that in point of skill the English throwsters may be supe-
rior to the Italians, but how materially is that skill coun-
tervailed by the many advantages possessed by the Italian
throwsters; advantages so peculiar and to considerable that
even with a duty of ss. per pound they would be enabled
to undersell the English in their own market.
One most important—perhaps the principal—advantage
possessed by the Italian throwster, is the having choice of
the best silks, and the being able to procure them in the
same good condition as they come from the Filanda. In
addition to this, not only has he no duty to pay upon his
raw silk, but he has that which, to him, operates as a pro-
tecting duty, viz. the export duty in Lombardy of Is. 2d.
per lb. English. To this is to be added the present duty
offish pew lb. paid on the importation of raw silk into Eng.
land, snaking together 15..5d. ; and if from this be deducted
the duty of Td. per lb. paid by the Italian in the thrown
silk exported, there will remain 1011. per lb. extra duty,
which the English throwster must have paid on the sill
thrown by him. Thus the duty of .sa. per lb. is, in fact,
reduced to 4s.

While I am upon the foreign duties, it may be matter of
information to add, that the export duty of raw silk, from
all the States of Lonsaanv, is equal to Is. 2d. per lb.
English. From the States of PIEDMONT the exportation
is prohibited. From the ROMAN States, it is equal to Sid.
per lb. English ; and from the NE•POLITAN States the
exportation is free of duty.
he export duty upon thrown silk, from the States of
Loassaany, is equal to 7d. per lb. ; from the States of
PIEDMONT is equal to Is. 2d. per lb.
Now the question which next requires to be considered
is, at what price can the Italians throw their silk ? It is
pretty well ascertained that, at an ample estimate, the cost
to them is about 3s. per lb. The English cannot, they
say, produce thrown silk at a less expense than ss. per lb.;
here, then, is 2s. more, at least, thrown into the scale in fa-
vour of the Italian throwster, which added to the former
iod. gives him *preponderant advantage of 2s. 10d. per lb.
Let us now pause, and examine the result. To the Eng-
lish throwster it is this—the duty of .ss. per lb., on foreign
thrown silk, becomes to him a real protecting duty of only
2s. 2t1.. To the British silk manufacturer it is this,—that
he is burthenecl with a duty of 4s. 2d. per lb. more than is
paid by the French manufacturer. Thus, while the
throwster in England is insufficiently protected, the manu-
facturer is inevitably ruined.
1 would here ask—and it is a question which deserves
the most serious consideration of the Government—of what
avail is it to encourage the throwsters, if you ruin those
who are to consume the produce of their industry, and
without whom their material cannot find a market ? The
manufacturers may exist and flourish, though the number
of throwsters should be diminished, but if the former are
compelled to abandon their trade, the occupation of the lat-
ter is gone. _ _ _

Let it not be inferred, from what I have here said, that
I am wanting in consideration for the many individuals
that have embarked their capital in this branch of industry;
or that I speak unfeelingly of their intetests. It is not so.
If the fostering attention of Government could be extended
equally, and with equal good effect, to the throwsters and
the manufacturers, it would be will ; but if this cannot he,
and if both interests cannot, in the present state of the
trade, be combined, the former must, to a certain extent,
give way, and the more definitively this result is made known
the better, that the parties may he the better prepared
either to yield to the necessity, or to provide against it.
Thus much is certain : if the prohibition is to be discon-
tinued, the English manufacturers must be enabled to meet
their rivals in the foreign market on equal terms, or their
export trade is at an end. 1 would, therefore, strongly
recommend that the duty upon orgarrine silk should be
reduced to the same duty as is payable in France, that is
10d. per lb.: and, that the duty upon raw silk should be
reduced to one penny. The result of this measure would
he, that the demand for thrown silk would immediately in-
crease, and the price of throwing would every where ad-
vance. At present, the Continental manufacturers have an
advantage, approaching to monopoly, in the foreign mar-
kets ; but this reduction would bring the English manu-
facturers to the same level, and, both paying the same price
the fonner would no longer be able to produce goods;

I.

much below those manufactured in Engiatul. From the
great augmentation of demand which would be thus
created, the English throwsten would be materially be-
nefited; as they would be enabled to continue working
their mills with much more activity and with greater suc-
cess than they would be in a condition to do under the I
duty of 65., coupled with the importation of foreign
wrough silks. • -.pa,: -
This subject, an important at this moment, from the cri-
tical situation of the silk trade, is susceptible of much
farther developement ; but the length to which I hare
already extended this letter forbids me at present from
trespassing further on your columns.
A CALM OBSERVER.