New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-17
INDUSTRIAL GERMANY.
BY ROBERT P. PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.
CONDITION OF THE SILK wEAvERs.

| rFRoN A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE'l
CRETEIp. Prussia. July 16.-With a population
| of abont $4,000 well and regularly Dulit' sur
rounded by a fertile district, almost entirely lald
ont in gardens Crofeld may be called one 81 the
finest towns in Rhenish Prussia. 1t has all the APP
peaTance of modern town tho streets are rs even
"a tbose y, an American city the business blocks are
substantial and clean, the factories are well bnt
shade trees add to the appearance of the principal
avenue of the town, and the dwelling houses even
those in which the working people live, are CON
structed of the best material, with profusion OF
white paint and add to the general appearance OF
the centre of the German silk industry There are
some points of resemblance between Chemnltz ana
Crefeld. perks APPS arising from the fact that they
ora both located In beautiful agricultural district,
ord that ybile both are centres of important Indus
tries they are both entirely unlike the manufact
urnr centres of Great Britain with their tall smok
ing chimneys towering Oh all sides, and their
oloomv brick factories and narrow black streets.
almost devoid of vegetation. left Dusseldorf ana
crossing the Rhine in most unpicturesque spot,
changed cars at Neuss, and then northwest to
Crefeld. Tho country between Dusseldorf and
Crefell is very fat and shoulG think not thickly
settled I passed several new factories and small
houses and cottages with very red tiles Neuss the
ancient Novesium, is one OF the oldest towns IN
Germany 1t boasts a building begun in 1903. but
nothing else except about Is 600 industrious mhaD-
itantL
Though Crefeld has the appearance OF modern
town. IL was bonored Dy mention In some aucleht
parchment dated 1l06. and in 1873 obtained inu-
nicpal privileges The foundation of the towns in
dusrial prosperity dates from the time that IL Tell
into the hands of the Princes Of Nassau and Orange
and was due to protection-not in the shape OF du-
ties but by tie protection extended TO Protestants
and Auabaptists banshcd from the DuchIes OF
IHlich md Berg Unlike nearly all German towns
IL has never been besegtd the only battle 1t can
boast of is a vicinity fight" IN which Frederick
the Great defeated the French. By the wav, TINS
same Frederick took great interest In the Six in
dustry and visited Creied in 1893, granting some
manufacturers the monopoly in manufacturing GER
tpin lines of goods in order to encourage them 10
make still greater advancement The particular
article made a monopoly was velvet, ribbons, In
which line of goods suppose. Crofeld to-day e1-
cells the world. Cloth manufacturing once flour
ished here, but rs have shown Ai1-la-Chapehe IS
now the seat OF that industry
Very few of the $4,000 workpeople engaged
directly and indirectly in the silk industry of this
district live in Crefed. Those who do are the
better class weavers to a number of whose houses
was kindly taken by the Hon. Joseph :. Potter. the
efficient consul at Crefeld These houses were
really fats with the rent for each floor decreasing
rs wo assembled. About three and sometimes four
rooms there were 20 a family and this Is mono too
many. for one room Is generally wholly occupied
by two CT three shand-looms. These houses were
comfortable and the rents not more than one-hfth
of what the Sane house would cost IN the United
States and far cheaper than IN England. But the
operatives who live in Crefeld are better of than
those in the country districts. so 1t will not do TO
take them as tho average. We were accompanied
in the morning tour of INSPECTION of vorkpeope's
homes by Herr " merit, one CT tho leading manu-
facturers. ] asked this gentleman several questions
in regard to weavers' wages, and he told me that
his books showed that the average wages Of
master weaver stuff, cravat or piece goods were
about > marks (S3 30 week. The wages OF
helper on second loom under master weaver were
about 10 marks go 5Ol week. All weavers in
Creeld work by the piece. ana their pay ranges
from 20 pfennigs to 10 marks 80 p'enngs per meter
according to width and quality Of goods and as
Crefuld makes silks velyets. pushes ribbons of all
kinds and plain and fancy, all-sk and silk-cotton
shot materials in varieties moro numerous than arc
produced In any other part of the world the reader
may imagine the barriers IN tho way Of giving any
thing like an idea of the wages earned on the var
| Gus kinds OF goods. Tho wages CT an apprentice on
| piece work are about Z marks 81 75l week. The
earnings of velvet and plush wcavers are consider
| ably less than those given above Expert Jacquard
marks $50 5O a week. although such a'e uncommon.
| The weavers Herr Winertz informed me- their
| own masters and work as many hours they
| please those who work longest hours OF course
making the most. The estimates he gave
based the results of an average OF twelve houIs
work per day. This gentleman thought, and in this
Mr. Potter creed with him, that wages in Crefold
are not now higher than they have been daring the
last five years though on Velvets, which ut this
tune are ia active demand, the wages remain firm
with possibly an upward tendency. The actual
figures published by the Crefeld Board OF Trade. as
shown III the Berlin letter, indicate that the aggro-
gate wages have increased not only relatively with
the increase OF production and OF the number Of
looms in use but also absolutely since 1879.
1t is a curious fact. and showing how largely
cotton enters into the silk stuff of Germany that
there IS cotton consumed IN the Crefeld maui
features than silk. Here is the amount in pounds
for 1851:
Cotton yarns 2OsG.s3l
The highest numbers of cotton yarn nearly all
come from Manchester, and are generally spun and
gassed The silk arrives IN Crefed doubled and
twisted to warp and welt. The spun silk Is also
ready for use. From this it will he that tho
business OF the district is almost exclusively weay
Ing.
During my stay hero devoted one day to the out
side villages, visiting under the excellent guidance
of Consul Potter aud Vice Consul Schneider Hits,
Kempen and Mulhausen. all places entirely given
over to velvet and silk weaving. 1t must be borne
in mind that scarcely hundred velvet looms and
only a lew thousand stuff looms TO be found N
the CITY, Living is cheap in these surrounding viii
lagess Rent is very low, and they generally till
small piece Of land garden for their own use
which they own or hiro for "A small rent