The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-03
FACTS AND STATISTICS IN REFERENCE TO THE
COTTON MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE.
[From the n. Y. Journal OF Commences

The report of Mr.. John Claiborne, who was commits
stoned by the Secretary of the Interior as special agent
collect facts and statistics concerning cotton manuiac
and the consumption of American cotton in Europe
was laid before Congress few DAYS since This is inn
porant pNblic document and treats OF subject III which
country deeply interested AS however the mag
nitude of the report precludes all possibility OF its being
printed and ready for distribution for some time 10 come
we propose lay before readers synopsis of part
of it, which have obtained by proxy from the manu-
script sheets
France ranks next to Great Britain in the quantity of
cotton she consumes while the value and variety OF the
articles into which she abrcaes it, much greater
than in England In the taste and beauty of her tissues
she Justly claims the first rank among modern nations.
Her mills send forth every description OF cotton goods
from the calicoes of Rouen to the richly Inquired
nasns Of Muhouse, the gossamer tes of St. Quentin,
and the exquisite tariatanes of Iarare.
Scarcely sixty years have elapsed since the first attempts
cotton spinning made in Paris at period too,
when the first French revolution about to sweep
the country overthrow the old political system, and
to affect most njuriousy all the material interests Of So
cety The progress of this branch of industry was,
therefore, but slow for considerable number OF years
Between the years 1878 and 1928 the commercial pros
pery of France returned and public attention to
greater degree than ever directed to cotton manufac
tures likely to form the mest basis of national pros
perty New and very extensive establishments put
in operation But the commercial arrangements of 1925
and the revolution of $780, with their disastrous
influences and the money crisis of 1887 almost parayzed
the manufacturing interest Since 1851, however the
march of improvement has been vigorous and rapid and
cotton manufacturing has become the chief commercial
feature Of France adding immensely to the national
wealth and Importance.
With respect to her production Of cotton fabrics, France
may be considered divided into three great DISTRICTS
viz Normandy of which Rouen is the centre; the East
having Mulhouse its principal point and the North
east with its cities of St. Quentin, Roubaix and Lille
Each of these districts has its reputation for the produc
tiOn of particular fabrics and tissues Thus Roucn is
famed for the articles and for its low prices and
is called the workshop of the Muhouse celebra
ted for its ndiennes and its printed muslins St. Quen
tin sends out the finest descriptions of tulles organdies
&c. while Lille and Valencennes the seats of the
lace manufactures Tarare has, of late years sent into
the Partisan market the most beautiful and costly tarla
and embroidees and Calais is fast following in the
footsteps Of Nottingham in the manufacture Of bobbincs
and those kinds of aces for which the latter city has been
30 long famous.
Mr. Claiborne not able to obtain precise details Of
the establishment and progress of cotton manufacture in
any Of the three districts except that of the East AS
that district however possesses the largest manufacur
ing capacity of any in France, will be able to judge
very closely, from the minute and detailed information
furnished of the amount of cotton consumed in the whole
empire well of the value of the fabrics produced
Cotton weaving began in the district of the East, at
Muhouse, in the year TAG The articles first manufac
tured ndiennes and the threads used spun by
hand those spun by machinery not coming into until
half century later, in 1900 The flying shuttle first
employed in 1905 Shortly after this latter period the
importation of cotton tissues in France prohibited
policy which has been maintained until the present day.
:, ~,
fcation of which the mi-owners manifest determined
opposition. Weaving made much progress spinning
and other branches of cotton manufacture and gradually
extended to all parts of the district the factors generally
adopting with readiness all inventions. The old sys
tenn of handlooms disappeared before the power]oom
until in 1885, of the total number of looms in the dis
trct, AZ, 1929, only 1859 worked by hand while
33472 were mpelled by machinery Cotton printing
established at Mulhouse at the time weaving
and shortly attained to that reputation which it has
since enjoyed There in this district 100 spin
oc Il, I.r,t n
water with aggregate horsepower of s l99 These
establishments have total of l,49S 440 spndles for
dnary yarns, and l6 $50 for twist The general propor
tion of spndles for ordinary numbers of yarns is from $50
to 200 for each unit of horsepow The spinlcs
about follows divided in the manufacture of different
numbers of yarns
For waste and numbers under 20 $4,000
For ordinary numbers, from "a to 40, warp
or woof-- ], 600, 900
For numbers between 40 and 70- 1000
For fine numbers from 20 to 20O--------- $50, 900
The annual production of yarns is about 44,0O 900
pounds equal in value to Sl3 00O 37 cents per
pound. The spinneries employ 29,995 workmen. The
wages paid average francs per day for men, for women
and from 20 centmes to franc for boys and girls The
annual cost of spinning averages SC 81 per spindle In
the year 1911 the price of raw cotton at Mulhousc
$l 33 per pound in 1856 it had fallen to IL cents per
pound In 1911 the average price OF yarns at the
place So 33 per pound in 1856 it only 23 cents
The number of weaving mills in the district is placed
at 1876, employing 81 1897 hands. The production of
cloths has increased from 1888 to 7O,s33, 1888
yards and during the decade has almost doubled its
nual value, being about SIS 900 There also 25
cotton printing mills employing TO-, 400 hands, and print
ing 81 900, 900 yards, valued ut about S9579, 900.
Mr.. Claiborne thus up the condition of cotton
manufacture in the district regards invested capital
the ordinary expenses of working, &c., &C., the hands
employed being 1882, and the motive power that of
Ia, 1928 horses
Spinning at mean average of Sc 81 per
spindle, for 1913, BOG spindes- s9,759,7i6
Weaving by mechanism at $l39 80 the