Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-08-14
American Silks.

ufactured in this country was 81 ,SO9,,
49,: bv 1860 it had increased to sc, 607,
| I'll; by 1870 to S12.2l0,052. During
the decade from 1870 10 1880 wonder
full increase was made. the total value
of silks manufactured in 1880 being
$4I. OBS, o 70, an increase of about 2y
per cent. The State of New JERSEY
alone produced in 1850 goods to the
value of S17,122, $50, or almost fifty
per cent. more than the total produc.
ton of the whole country in 1910.
Meanwhile the importation of silk man
ufactures, which amounted to SIS, S9o,.
819 in the calendar year 1871, fell off to
Sl9, 1922, TAI IN 1877, but increased with
the returning prosperity of the country
to ;s33, 800, 400 in 1880.
Various attempts had been made tc
establish the manufacture of silks in
this country in 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 could be
called successful. Out of the total pro
duction of 81, a09. 476 IN 1850, the value
of sewing silks was S1,202, 42f. 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 twenty-eight or thirty
years ago. The manufacture OF rib
bons began about 1861. and was much
stimulated during the war of the rebel
lion by the high price of gold which
checked their importation.
Plain gros grain dress silks were
made to so me extent before 1856, when
the business was organized in New Jer-
sey, but the most rapid growth in this
| line is since 1876. Brocaded silks and
satins were attempted on large scale
earlier than the plain gros grain, and
were produced in several factories when
that was confined TO a few. Asiatic
| pongees were printed to some extent
before 1870. The manufacture of hand
kerchiefs was small until 1876. when it
1eceived great impetus from the CEN
3nnial exhibition, and increased very
rapidly. The manufacture of silk lace
was begun in lo7I. and the trimmings
of all kinds is very important branch
of the industry, and was mainly de3el-
| 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 more silk goods than any single
country in the wo Id. and, at the pres
| ent rapid increase it will soon consume
rs much as all Europe. This is account
| ed for by the fact that Americans, even
the poorest, dress we'll, and the line
whicn 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 can 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 for the
| 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 SUI Gered from over production,
that the American manufacturer can
best compete with the foreign. At the
| rate of inc ease OF production since 1880,
the value of the p esent years produc-
ton will amount to about $50, UO0, 900,
an increase of nearly fifty per cent.
since 1oSU. AS very little raw silk is
produced here the increase in the i'm
portations of raw silk show partially
the increase in the manufacture. The
importations during the calendar years
of 1871 and 1883 were 1885, 57 and -
$50, go pounds respectively. In 1873
there was also imported 3!9, 1903 pounds
of cocoons and 1854 pounds OF waste.
The increase in 1888 was $4,000
pounds of reeled silk and 10000
pounds of waste, and the total value for
that year was about $4,000, 600.
The value o. the importations for the
six years of 1877, inclusive. averaged
only about S5,5OO,c The importa-
tons for 1873 were valued at .5, 10, 1884,
| d for 1879 at IS, 81 ,O25, the inn
portations for 1888 thus being greater
than for the two years 1873 and 1879.
The increase of American production
may also be seen by the falling OF in
the impor. alton of foreign silk manu-
features, VIII Oh reached its limit in the
fiscal year lS8. -9S, at S3S, 1885,. 81, and
fell to $50, 764, $50 in 1929. The i'm
portation for the calendar year 1852 was
Sal, AS, s8&, and for the calendar year
1888 S35, 1U ,y15, decline of S6,3l4,-
O6o, and the figures for this year SO far
also shows 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 hrst,
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 49, establishments engaged in the
business, employing a capital of &c.
H., 3O0 and 81, III. hands, and pro-
ducing goods to the gross value of s41,-
$500. The production of New Jersey
for that year was of a gross value of
SIT, ,231; New York. sl0,l7O,I 4O;
Connecticut, 1881, 600; Massachusetts,
SIS, los. go. and Pennsylvania, 3,+sl,-
$40. The American silks are letter
than foreign, though much more ma
ehinery is employed in their manufac-
ture. One reason for this is that the
[machinery in the American factories is
run at the highest speed compatible
with good work, thus economic ng
time aud labor, and with this high
speed only silk of the most
uniform t,ualty is used. Not only is
the silk of American fabrics of more
uniform qualify generally than the for