Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-23
Ribbon Making in France.


 The manufacture of ribbons was carried on in France some time before that of silks. and the works at Saint Etienne were among tie earliest established. At the beginning of the present century there were II, 900 machines, employing 1000 laborers, in these works, and the annual production was r, ,OOO, GOO of ribbons. In 1884 the production had tripled, and between 1849 and 1857 the annual pro- duetion surpassed 100, ,OOO, GOO of ribbons But this prosperity was followed by reverses, due chiefly to change of fashion, and some- what later the rebellion in this country, which was followed by 8 very .gh tariff duty, seriously affected this branch of manu- facture, and in 1866 and 1867 but 60, ,OOO 900 of ribbons were produced. But prosper ous period followed and in 1872 the produc- ton reached 12O, 900 ,0OO of ribbons, a num- Der that decreased during the following years of depression more than half. In the meantime the cost of silk has greatly de- creased and the great employment of cotton wherever 1t can be used has decreased the value of ribbons. At present there are about 9, ,000 machines at Saint Etienne, re- quiring the attendance of 75,0O0 men and women. The economy of the ribbon manu- facture is peculiar. More than one-third of these machines are distributed among the cottagers of the Loire, and form a very i'm portant part of the manufacture for while but one ribbon is usually made at time, it may be made wider and of & more peculiar pattern than when two or more ribbons are made on one machine. This can be done because the labor of these cottagers is cheap.
 There will sometimes be found as many as three machines in one cottage, which are managed by the parent as master, and by his family, or by apprentices, who do not yet possess machines of their own. But the number of such apprentices is small, because by their labor they can soon save enough to obtain machine of their own, and thus rise to the dignity of master. When trade is brisk an apprentice soon saves POO francs, which he pays on account of machine (cost- ing from 500 to 3, 900 francs, according to its make) and he pays the balance when he can. There is no regular tariff of wages, but the price for each task Is stipulated for when it is given out. This arrangement is in part due to the great difference-in the quality of material used Thus the silk from the far East is very cheap in price, but breaks very easily, and it is very difficult to spin, because much time is lost in stopping the machine in order to tie the threads. For working with such materials the wages of the laborer are relatively higher than when other and more firm silks are used and in case of any differ ence between master and apprentice it is referred to 8 jury of experts, who decide upon the remuneration. For the product of the labor of the apprentice the master takes one-half as rent for the use of the machine. In good years about six francs per day is earned by each machine, so that the appren- tice will, under the arrangement just men, toned, receive three francs per day. The pay of a workman will at times rise as high as 15 francs per day. For common ribbons the cost of the labor represents but 10 or 15 per cent. of the value of the ribbon, but it may rise as high as 40 per cent. in the case of the more finished products. The factory of Saint Etienne employs about 17, 600 machines; but little progress has been made in applying the great motive forces usually applied when manufacture is carried on on large scale About two-thirds are run by hydraul- ic machines, 1,5OO by mechanical contri- vances, and but 400 by steam.