The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-03-13
OUR TRADE RELATIONS.
United States Consuls Send Some
Interesting Reports
concerning Industries In Foreign Lands
ana How They Are Affected by Stag
nation OF Business In America
New Market for Ameri-
can Carpets.

WASHINGTON, March ll.-''The yea
s'94 mas been an almost uninterrupte,
Rerlod of commercial depression every
where, but for Belfast especially it ma,
sertalnly be classed as the most disas
Srous year we have ever experienced.
Ihls information is conveyed to the
department of state by Consul Taney,
al Belfast, in report on the condition
Si trade for the year 1894 The year
nc says, has been very trying one in
nearly all branches of business, caused
20 large extent by the prolonged
Etagnation of trade in the United
states and the shrinkage in values for
%hlch the time occupied in remodeling
s1e tariff law is held largely RESPONSE
Ihis statement, he says, may seem
strange until it is understood that the
chief industry of Belfast and vicinity
Is the manufacture of 1axen textiles
and that the United States consumes
from 30 to GO per cent. of the total ex-
sorts' In this connection Mr. Taney
quotes as follows from the proceedings
OF the Belfast chamber of commerce:
Our principal customer. the United
states, took, during the year, over s4.-
900 600 yards of white finished goods,
ana as the total exported To all coun-
tries amounted to $50, ,0O0 OO0. it will be
seen the states take more than all our
'Iher countries put together To the
states, therefore, the linen trade owes
great deal of its prosperity"
he shrinkaCc in values. continues
hr, fancy, from whatever cause has
mad tie most serious effect, Il conserva-
i've estimate putting it at $1,000, 900.
lhe result OF this was to eat up all the
profit and TO curtail the production, in
some cases, from one-fourth to one
third of the mills capacity. The severe
winter played an important part in the
dlstress which prevails and the city au-
thorities have been compelled to inau-
gurate extraordinary measures to re-
lleve the widespread want. frequently
bordering on starvation.
In conclusion, the. report says. that
with the passage of the tariff law in
me United States orders began in
creasing and business in the textile in
dnstry revived, until the demand is
now equal TO what it was at any time
within the past five years. He will be
much surprised, he says, if some of the
Textile manufacturers in the United |
states do not soon see the Importance
OF this traic and utilize their inventive
genius to supply it with home prod
net.
-tnerican carpets are being intro
hncc into Switzerland by German
arm OF Stuttgart and the American
fonsul at Zurich in his investigation of
she matter has found that United
states manufacturers have Il good field
IN Europe for their fabrics There are
no carpet factories in Switzerland. the
supply being imported from Germany.
England, France and Belgium. The
sOnsul points out single difficulty to
oe overcome in creating market
mere, which is the prevailing opinion
hat everything called American must
naturally be high priced. 1t appears
however, that if Swiss mer-
,hants are willing to pay German mid
ilemen commission to secure Ameri-
AN goods, direct trade might be more
to all concerned.