The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-12
OUR TARIFF IN GERMANY
THE PARALYzING EFFECT OF TRE
MKINLBY BILL.

Empirs-aeavy Falling of In Ex-
ports-One Large Manufacturer Seri-
ously Thinking of Futting Up a Fac
tory in America.
BERLIN, Aug. 1L.-For the purpose Of
studying the actual effects of the Mckinley
bill as far as such effects could show them
selves within the comparatively short time
since the law became operative, an Associ-
ated Press correspondent has visited some
Of the most important industrial oenters of
Germany, such as Leipsic, Chemnitz,
Plauen, Greiz, Nuremburg and Frankfort.
From other important points he has res
ceived reports of men thoroughly familiar
with the affairs of the different districts.
HAS HAD A PARALYzING EFFECT.
They all agree that the measure has had
paraly Zing effect upon certain industries
while others equally highly taxed have not
suffered at all. How far this is due to ex-
traneous causes independent Of the bill an
effort will be made TO explain.
or all the industrial centers in Germany.
perhaps in Europe, Chemnitz, a thriving
manufacturing city Of Saxony, and the dis
trict surrounding it have suffered most
The principal industry Of Cheuhnitz is tbs
manufacture of knitted goods, especially of
hosiery.
EXTENT OF CHEMNITz'S BUSINESS.
There are $50 manu- facturers Of hosiery in
the city. Numerous dye works, commission
houses, brokers spinneries, etc, are inter
ested in this trade. Many thousand skilled
workmen are employed in the "house in
dustry" and depend upon it for their living.
The Mckinley bill came and trade LAM
guished. The exports which, in
lSS9-90. had amounted to SILL
$685., diminished TO SS,454, ,023
in lS90-'9l, falling off of nearly $1,000 ,00l
Without the heavy exports of the first
quarter of this fiscal year July to Sept.
80, lS90,) the decrease would have been still
greater.
Many Chemnitz manufacturers say that
the present dullness is only q consequence
Of last years overproduotion, but if the
tariff is not reduced they fear that in the
future they cannot manufacture at profit,
and the factories springing up in America
will deprive them completely of American
trade.
TO COME TO AMERICA.
One OF the largest manufacturers, who
asked that his name be withheld because he
feared the wrath of his townsmen, said he
had sent number of his best young men tc
America for the purpose of initiating them
into American business ways, as he
tory somewhere in the United States
A PECULIAR METHOD.
The business here is done in a peculiar
way. The goods. before reaching the
buyer, pass through many hands. Through.
out the large district OF many square miles
| are scattered dwellings of single weavers-
household industry" people. These
receive the yarn from the fac.
tor. weave complete stockings OF
gloves and return them to the factor, who
sells them to the manufacturer. The man.
ufacturer fashions" them, and then turns
them over to the dyer After the dye>
ing they are glazed stamped. packed
in boxes and turned over tc
the ageut, who in his turn sends them to
the commission house In the United States
or else sells them direct to American buyers
visiting German markets. All these people
| complain terribly, but it is the "household
industry" people, the poor, who suffer.
SCENES IN AND AROUND CHEMNITz.
The correspondent visited many of their
homes while in Chemnitz. 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
men were busy, many others were covered
with white cloth, a sign of enforced idle
ness,
In one house visited man was making
SILK gloves Oh very fine workmanship. His
machine, an upright loom, was handsomely
inlald with different woods, aud he seemed
very proud OF it. He said he Yves earning at
present marks 1872 75) a week. He had a
wife and child. The rooms were scru
pulously clean, and the mau had an intel
ligent and independent bearing. He thought
of going to America if he could get his loom
admitted free of duty. All the men visited
were intelligent, self-respecting and in
dustrious.
CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE.
Their earnings at present average from
81 50 to S2 per week. One of them, a man
with a wife and four children, was asked
how he managed to get along. We'll, we
DON'T" he replied, with sad smile. "Most
of us had something laid by from better
days. We used that up. Almost everyood
has his little house and bit of farming land
We have mortgaged that. We still have
our looms left which are worth from $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 scarcely enough of
these
THEIR FUTURE.
ment on foot TO induce these people to emil
CRATE to America and to establish their in
dustry there. They would form desirable
class of citizens who would eventually add
much to the manufacturing wealth Of the
United States. But, On the other hand the
opponents of protection claim that the fac
tories cannot be established there to COM
pete with European prices, and these poo
pie, once in America, would leave
their "household industry" and rush into
existing factories and mills, thus competing
with those already employed. That is a
question TO be settled by the United States.
DIFFERENT CONDITION AT ANNABERG.
Quite different is tho state of affairs at
Annaberg, an industrial town in Erzge-
birge, where the 'house Industry also
fiourishes. This is the fashion district of
Germany. Laces, trimming and embroid
cries are the main staples, an industry es-
tablished in 1861 by Barbara Uttman.
Here, though the tariff has been raised, the
export to America has doubled since
the existeece of the Mckinley bill
Owing TO the cheapness of labor and the
complicated system of manufacturing-the
linen and yarns come from Ireland, the
artistic work is done in Annabsrg and the
bleaching in Bohemia-this industry could
under no circumstance be transported to
America.
AT PLAUEN, IN SAxoNY.
Plauen, In Saxony, is the center of a great
manufacturing district. Woolen dress
goods are the main article of exp ortation.
. These have fallen from 81. .9S5, 10l in the
x-aar 1850 iQO IN TQG 2-S in lGO1-