St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-12
GERMAN INDUSTRY.
A Study Of the Situation
Created by the New
Tariff.
Some Lines of Trade Suffer,
While Others Are Not
Affected.
Visiting the Homes Of the
Household Workers OF
the Land.
European Drift Of General In
terest Gathered From
Capitals.

BERLIN. aug. 1l.-fOI tUe puCpOSC VI
Studying the actual effects of the Nc
Kinley bill, as far as such effects could
show themselves within the compare
lively short time since the law became
operative. the Associated Press CORE
spondent has visited some of the most
important industrial centers of Ger
many. such as Leipsic, Chemnitz,
Plaueu, Greize, Nuremberg and Frank
fort From other important points
he has received reports of men
thoroughly familiar with the affairs of
the different districts. They all agree
that the measure has had a paralyZing
effect upon certain industries, While
Others equally high taxed have not suf-
fered at all. How far this is due to eX-
traneOus causes independent Of the bill
shall try to explain. Of all the indus
trial centerS in Germany, perhaps IN
Europe, Chemnitz, a thriving manu-
featuring city OF SaXOny, and the dis
trict surrounding it, have suffered most.
The principal industry of Chemnitz is
the manufacture Of knitted goods, espe-
cially OF hosiery. There are
250 Manufacturers
of hosiery in the city. Numerous dye
works, commission houses, brokers.
spinneries, etc, are interested III this
trade. Many thousand skilled work
men employed in the 'house Industry"
depend upon it Tor a living. The Me
Kinley bill came and trade languished.
The exports, which in 1SS9-90 had
amounted 10 s!l.395. 533, diminished to
SS,454,O23 i'll 1Sy0-91. a falling Off OF
nearly s., 100000. Without the heavy
exports OF the first quarter OF
this fiscal year July l to Sept.
so. 1901 the decrease would have been
still greater. Many ChemnitZ manu-
facturers say that the present dizziness
is only a consequence Of last years
OYer-production. But, if the tariff is not
reduced, they fear that In the future
they cannot manufacture at a profit
and that factories springing up in Amer
lea will deprive them completely of
the trade. One of the largest
manufacturers, who asked that his
name be withheld, becaused he feered
the wrath of his tOwnsmen, said he had
sent a number of his best young men TO
America for the purpose of Initiating
them into American business ways. as
he thought seriously of putting up
factory somewhere in the United States.
The business here is done in peculiar
way The goods before reaching the
buyer pass through many hands.
Throughout a large district of many
square miles are scattered the dwellings
of the single weavers, the
NHOusehOId EGGusfry''
people. These receive the yarn from
a factory, weave the complete stockings
or gloves and return them to the factor,
who sells them to the manufacturer.
60 ~,
and then turns them over to the dyer.
After dyeing they are "glaced, "
stamped, packed in boxes and
turned over to the agent, who in
his turn sends them to a COM
mission house in the United
States, OF else sells them direct to the
American buyers visiting the German
markets. All these people complain
terribly, but it is the household in
dustry" people, the poor, who suffer.
The Associated Press correspondent Wis
tied many of their homes while in Chem
hitz. For seven miles along the road
leading west from Chemnitz one
house joined another, one village
merged into another. In every
house one could see one, two or
three looms. At some many were busy,
many others we're covered with white
cloth. the sign of enforced idleneSS. In
one house visited a man was making
silk gloves of very fine workmanship.
His machine. an upright loom, was
handsomely inlaid with different woods,
md he seemed very proud Of it. He
said he was earning at present nine
marks. S2.15. a week. He had a wife
and child. The rooms were scrupu-
lousy clean, and the man had an intel
Iigent and Independent bearing. He
thought Of
Going to America.
If he could get his loom admitted duty
free. All the men visited were intelli-
gent, Self-reSpecting and industrious.
Their earnings at present average from
S1.50 to 8 a week. One Of them, man
with a wife and four children, was asked
how he managed to get along. "Well,
we DON'T" he replied. with a sad smile,
''mOSt of US had something laid by
from better days. We used that up.
Almost everybody has his little house
and bit of farming land. We have mort
gagged that. We still have our rooms
left, which are worth $3.50 to $500, but if
we should mortgage those the end would
be near. Things cannot last much
longer this way" These people live
almost entirely on potatoes and rye
bread. At the present high prices Of
food staples in Germany they get scarce
" enough of these 1t is understood
that there is some movement on foot
TO induce these people to emigrate to
America and to establish their industry
there. But on the other hand the OPP
ponents of protection claim that fact
cries cannot be established there to
compete with European prices, and
that these people, once in America,
would leave their household Industry
and rush into the existing factories and
mills, thus competing with these
already employed. That is a question
10 be settled in the United States.