New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-10
Year.

If the above figures had not been taken
from an official document and converted
from marks and centImes to pounds and
dollars it would he difficult 10 believe thi sud
den increase of 800 per cent IN both quantity ana
value of the silk goods exported. uey the enact
ment of "A high tariff by Germany has not curiailed
It's EXPORTS of manufactured silks. Yes the ircerade
writers lay great stress the fact hat protective
countries can never become great exporters
Of manufactured goods, especially when
competing with free-trade England. Ger
many now imports about 7hO1,OoO pounds
OF raw silk. about one million and a half pounds
more than she did pine years ago. while England
as have shown, imports about 100000 pounds
less raw material than she dad IN 1871. But the
increase of the imports Of raw silk does not repre-
sent the increase IN what be termed the German
velvet and plush velvet ribbon. SILK and hall silk
goods aud silk and half silk ribbor trade, because
INTO nearly all these goods cotton yarns enter very
largely
These then the changes that have taken place
in little more than a decade IN the elk industry of
Great Britain. France. Italy. Germany and the
United states. Wages have changed also. In Ing
land. II can be me ntestaDiy shown, the tendency
has been downward. Tins ! have proved on the
authority OF In .sh publications. In the United
States tie censu, shows that the tendency has bern
upward 6.640 men women and children receiving
for the ceusu. year ending June /, le7O, Sl"l2.2sO
in wages against 3 1897 TecelyIngm lSsO>9l4G.7OJ.
Al first glance this seems the same per head per
year about 500 but during part of the rod OF
the census year ending Jane l, 1870 gold was
IL 80, 50 that in fact tn American silk weavers
and spinners are better paid TO-DAY than they were
twelve years ago. have not yet sufficient Data Tor
a reliabe comparison OF the wages t1eu and now IN
France and Italy. Tho Board of Trade Report of
Crefrd [sce my Berlin let erl shows that IN Ger
many the wages OF silk operatives closely followed
the INC ease IN value OF prOduct, but as compared
with the number OF looms they ro,, considerably,
going up not only absolu civ but also relatively.
In one of my Coventry letters made a statement
in regard to the paid In the elk Industry OF
the five countries under confederation The state
ment was based a report ma e by Mr.. WyckOn.
Secretary of the Silk Association of America lsee
page IA. annual report Xix Association 1882. IN
dorsed rs published ID eX. doc 173 XLVllth Con
gress first session. pages 303l also published by Mr.
Nimmo CHE OF the Bureau OF statistics. aud also
gwen IN testimony before the Tarln Commission
by Mr. William Is. Hackenburg tsee Vol. H.. page
2297, Tariff Commission Reporl Here Is the
statement as originally gwen oy Mr. Wyckoh 4: "
regard il az entirely within bounds to state that
there Is paid for similar labor IN silk manufacture
in this country twice as high as in England APP
pro1mately three times as high a. in Germany and
France, and four times AS high as IN Italy"
After a careful examination III England found SIR.
Wyckoi's estimate nearly correct so far 1t APP.
piled to that country. and hence quoted his other
estimates tor the remaining three countries, more Of
which had then visited. Since visiting the silk
districts of Germany l find that. owing TO the
economic changes above described, there is not
such great difference be ween the wages
paid In the silk industry of Germany and
that of England. | also assure the
gentlemen who were responsible for the
statements in tho Coventry letter for making
which, because il was made III this series of letters
have been most Indignantly aud IgnOranty at
tackled TO my own knowledge, by half a dozen
jourDas). that they are little abrye the mark Is
unqualIiiedly saying that wages IN the silk industry
in the United states three tunes as high az III
Germany. | mean. OF course tho same branches
OF the INDUSTRY for the divisions of the work III what
may genencally be called the silk industry are 40
distinct as to amount almost to separate industries
so far methods, machinery and wages paid are
concerned. For example compare the district from
when / writ to the United states. 1t is farcom
parsOn Decausr the value here OF the goods pro-
duced in he CTefeld OIstiict III 1882 was ~ OO0-
900. which with the duty added would probably
equal the entire value OF the silk poo
Duct for that year the United
States. The goods produced, The machinery,
and the methods of employing labor are entirely
different. The principal Helms produced in the
United 5 ares would De silk twls, and ribbons,
the former made spIndles. tho latter mos ly ON
power looms. / did not a spindle in Creield,
and whlle The census of 1880 only returns 3l53
hand-ooins engaged in SIX manufacturing in the
United Sta es. the Creleld Board of Trace report
gives 1902 the number IN that district IN
operation in 1882, and eq rally good authority
informed that haud-loons constituted
90 or SO per cent OF the whole number III use and
po oons no. more han or per cent. aud that
on tnesc hInG-looms are produced about 80 to 80
pes cent OF the entire prOGue ion. Nearly LA the
looms III Creicld are now engaged velvrts and
yeivet nbDons. As | shall show IN my next let
ter. hardly any of tho weavers live an. do their