The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-02-17
The Industry Of the Ottoman En-
Bire.


the chief industry of the Ottoman
empire, especially Asia Minor. Is
the making Of carpets. Most of
the genuine Turkey carpets are
not made in the factories, with
looms. but in the huts of the peas
ants. There exists, however, fac
tories with looms, European fash
ION. from which some carpets
come. The annual value of the |
carpets of Anatolia Is some $500 |
600: for these, the American de-
mand is steadily increasing. About
three-fuurths of them come To Eng
land. and one-sixtb 10 France, and
they can he bought in either soun-
try at a more reasonable price
than the traveller can get them IA
Smyrna.
The headquarters of the Tur-
KEY carpet manufacture ~ at
| Ooshak. not far east of Smyrna.
! At this village there are some
hundreds Of looms al work, EN-
ploving about 5000 women, and
turning out about $1,000 square
wards of carpet annually. These
women earn about eight piastres a
week, which GENES to about thirty
six cents for each yard Of carpet
woven. The wool comes from the
village around; the foundation of
the carpet is made from the in-
ferior wool. making the whole ma
terial cost about hfty-scven cents
a ward. Thus, but for the dyeing,
the cost Of producing these carpets
would be less than a dollar a yard
! the dyeing, however, forms the
! chief item of cost. The colorS are
=, produced with madder, cochineal
, aud indigo. Nadder-root gives
the Turkey read, and IL largely
: grown iR Asia Minor; the best
o roots cost FROM five To six cents q
pound. COchineal Is imported
n from England and France, and
considerably rises the price Of the
h carpets. 1t was not used befor,
e 1856. Indigo, too, is imported
"a and comes from England or from
India. Yellows are got from ;
seed which Is cultivated in Asi;
, Minor and is getting dcarer ever,
day; it now costs about thirt.
cents a pound. Small quantitie
!, Of other dyes are imported fron
/: Europe.
At Ghiurdes, another village o
artisans not far from Smyrna, th
Persian carpets are initiated. Thi
village turns out about 5000
yards annually.
The figures given above sho'
that Turkey carpets need no lOnge
be the costly luxuries that the
were before the development {
/; trade and consequent competitio
- in Europe. 4 Smyrna merchar
of high standing is at present offeI
ing the finest Ooshak, in which a
= the reds are cochinesl, for aboC
81 80 square yard; the secon
quality, III which half the reds al
nadder, for less than So; and q
Ghiurdes carpets tor about 81 z
ed Seven years ago the prices wei
oil about the same, but thirty yea
no ago they were not more than thre
ba fourths Of these rates. The i
g. creasing price Of labor and of Il
or best dyes has been the cause
N the rise.
nv The ancient carpet industry
ior Asia Minor is now threatened
* an attempt to introduce mode
cir patterns in place OF the old Turk
an and Arabesgue designs. Il
,k- Smyrna merchants advertise III
cir they will fill any order, accordir
ON to any pattern desired, and the
AL is, unfortunately, an extensive q
hv mand in England for Turk
Ter Carpets woven on English patterI
,re Ia such manufactures as stes
md engines, it is proper for all cou
tries 10 aim at a uniformity, dro
Md ping their own methods for the