Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-05
American Silks.
In 1850 the total value of silks man.

In 1850 the total value of silks man.
ufactured in this country was $780,
1856; bv 1860 it had increased to Sc, Co.,
I'll; by 1870 to $l2, 2lO,OG2. During
| the decade from 1870 to 1880 a wonder
! full increase was made, the total value
| of silks manufactured in 1880 being
$4l, O333, O45, all increase of about $50
per cent. The State of New Jersey
alone produced in 1880 goods to the
value of ST., 122, 230, or almost fifty
ton Of the whole country in 1870.
Meanwhile the importation Of silk man
ufactures, which amounted to S33, $685.
S19 in the calendar year 1871, fell off to
S19,922, 741.in 1877, but increased with
the returning prosperity of the country
to 1888, 305, 400 in 1880.
Various attempts had been madetto
establish the manufacture of silks in
this country i'll the first part of the cen
fury, but the manufacture of sewing
silks in which machine twists is in
Guided, is the only branch that couldbe
called successful. Out Of the total pro-
duction Of 81, s09, 47G IN 1850, the vane
of sewing silks was 81, 2O2, 426. This
branch Of industry is now wholly free
from foreign competition, but is meet
ing with the @fiercest of domestic. The
manufacture of spun silk, which now
includes almost every kind of silk
goods, was begun in South Manchester,
Conn, about t~wenty-eight Or thitty
years ago. The manufacture of nib
bons began about 1861. and was mlch
stimulated during the wal of the rebel-
lion by the high price of gold which
checked their importation.
Plain gros grain dress silks we're
made to some extent before 1866, when
the business was organized in New Jer-
sey, but the most rapid growth il this
line is since 1876. Brocaded silks and
satins were attempted on a large scale
earlier than the plain gros grain. and
We're produced in several factories when
pongees were printed to some extent
before 1870. The manufacture of hand
kerchiefs was small until 1876, when it
received a great impetus from the cen
tennial exhibition, and increased very
rapidly. The manufacture Of silk lace
was begun in 1871, and the trimmings
of all kinds is a very important branch
OF the industry, and was mainly deyel-
oped between 1870 and 1880. Silk
tapestry and goods of like character are
products of the last half dozen years,
principally.
At the present time this country con-
sumes O. silk goods than any single
country in the void, and, at the pres
ent rapid increase it will soon consume
as much as all Europe. This is account
ed for by the fact that Americans, even
the poorest, dress well, and the line
which separates rich Europeans from
their poorer countrymen in the matter
of dress is almost lost sight OF here.
This rich dressing has caused tn. great
increase in the production OF silks in
this country. The American demand
is now so large and increasing SO rap
idly that it could not be supplied by
European manufacturers, who can not
compete with American manufacturers
in the readiness to adapt themselves to
the sudden changes OF fashion.
Neither a the foreign manufacturer
come into that close and intimate rela-
ton with the merchant which the
American manufacturer can. BY work.
ing close to the demands Of trade forthe
costly silk fabrics, the American manu-
facturer can save himself from loss,
while the foreigner, not being able to
follow the American demand so closely,
can not do so. Thus 1t is in the most
costly goods, where the greatest loss
would be sut1eredfrom over production,
that the American manufacturer can
best compete with the foreign. At the
rate Of increase OF production since 1880,
the value of the present years produce
ton will amount to about $50, 900, 900,
an increase OF nearly fifty per cent.
since 1880. AS very little raw silk is
produced here the increase in the inn
p%ortations of ray silk show partially
the increase in the manufacture. The
importations during the calendar years
of 1871 and 1883 were 3,0S4, O57 and 81
$50, $50 pounds respectively. In 1883
there was also imported 379, SO3 pounds
Of cocoons and 715,947 pounds of waste.
The increase in 1888 was $4,000
pounds OF reeled silk and 100000
pounds of waste, and the total value for
that year vas about S14, DOC, 900.
The value OF the importations for the
six years of 1879, inclusive, averaged
only about SIS, 500, 600. The importa-
tons for 1878 were valued at So, 1903, OS4,
0.iN " 4OtO w .TC.OtI,O-C, AuuO lkU.
%portations for 1888 thus being greater
than for the two years 1878 and 1879.
The increase of American production
may also be seen by the falling off in
the importation OF foreign silk manu-
features, wh,ch reached it's limit in the
fiscal year 1SSl-S3, at s5S, $50, 567, and
fell to S36, 764, 296 in 1928. The i'm
portation for the calendar year 1882 was
S4lr415,9S4, and for the calendar veal
1888 $50, 1O1, 915, a decline of Sc, 314,-
059, and the figures for this year SO far
also shows a decline.
The United States is now the second
silk manufacturing country in the
world, France being first and Germany
third, and promises to soon be the first,
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are,
as yet, the only States in which the in
dustry is of much Importance. Accord
ing to the census report Of 1880 there
were 5S2 establishments engaged in the
business, employing a capital of $780,
l22,30O and 31,3lY hands, and pro-
ducing goods to the gross value OF SILL
033,O45. The production of New Jersey
for that wear was of a GROSS va1ua ~