The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-24

| The National and Providence Worsted
mills. OF which Charles Fletcher is chief
owner and manager, form one of the
largest and most complete wooden and
| worsted manufacturing establishments
in the world.
Yet these great plants do not export
goods to any appreciable amount That
Is. they do not make the goods for direct
expectation. excepting the Lonsdale
! Company.
The product OF the Lonsdale mills Is
or the finest quality and there is a de-
mand for the goods all over the world.
They are exported from New York. Bos-
ton and Baltimore in considerable guam
tty although how much is only known
! TO the men who have that branch OF the
business in hand. The Messrs. Goddard
Will not give publicity TO their business
in this respect. They admit, however,
that the tariff bill will not hurt their ex-
port trade, which is OF considerable i'm
/ portance.
The other leading cotton manufacture
ers say that very little OF their product
I goes out Of this country. Most of il goes
TO New York and from there is shipped
all over the United States Some OF IL
goes TO Canada. South America and
Mexico. They have no means OF know
Ing how much, except in isolated cases
| where the goods are made for a special
! purpose, and the order for its exporta-
ton is received direct. That kind Of bus
iness is conspicuous for it's nfrequency
CHEAP COTTON GOODS.
A large amount of goods made for an
especial purpose go TO New York. where
| Ii is cut up and made into garments,
such as shirts, etc. These garments are
| frequently sold, all made up, cheaper
than the cloth can be bought for, even
| In the towns where IL is manufactured
| There are several reasons for this. The
! prime one Is that the consumer at home
purchases the regular product while the
J New Workers consume what is known
| as seconds: that is not absolutely per-
feet goods The reduction in the price
from first quality goods 10 the seconds
makes the margins so that the manu-
facturer OF the garments can sell the
made up goods at the price OF the cloth
! and then make a profit No one not
! familiar with fabrics of this Kind could
tell the difference between the first quail
ity and the seconds.
Economy fs practsed by the manufac-
turer OF garments that the housewife
thinks little OF, yet in the consumption
of a large amount OF cloth ii cuts quite
figure. That is waste. The housewife,
IL she wants 10 make a shirt or other
garments takes little heed OF the waste,
because she does not make many shirts
or other garments in the course OF year
She uses the regulation width of cloth.
| The garment maker, however, orders
just the size OF cloth that will cut TO the
greatest advantage Tfld he saves the
money that the waste would cost, and
thereby ne can sell the made up gar
ments for the retail price of the cloth
and frequently trife less.
The manufacturers say that a large
amount OF Rhode Island made cotton
cloth finds it's way into Mexico and the
ISouth American countries, as made up
garments from New York. 1t is impos-
sible 10 tell how n!SSh, but they are sat
istied the consumption Is considerable.
because OF the enormous supply.
A few years ago the cotton manufac-
turers OF this country caught on to a
very important thing. The Englishmen
could outsell them even when the price
was the same. The secret came out
when IL was ascertained that the En-
glishmen made goods with certain
amount OF yards In each cut. The des-
erts OF Asia and other countries had
only camels for transportation and
camels were only capable OF carrying
goods OF a certain size. Here was the
secret. The Englishmen were making
goods that could be carried across des-
erts. They were in sizes for packing.
Then the American entered the field with
lpackable goods and the American pro-
duct was bought. Some OF the Lonsdale
product is made for camel packing pur-
lposes.
The great bulk OF American cotton
goods, however. is used in this country,
and the export trade is of little conse-
lquence in comparison.
| REASON OF THE INCREASE.
| During the past year more American
Iwoolen goods were sold in Europe than
ever before. Money was lost on nearly
every piece sold.
The manufacturers know they cannot
lcompete with foreign makers, therefore
the export trade is of little value. As
long as the present conditions exist they
are confident that the American product
must be sold in America.
Rhode Island sends very little abroad.
The South American trade is not sought
after with any great amount of energy,
because the terms of trade are not ad-
| vantageous TO the lively Yankee. He
doesn't care to wait year for his money
when goods are sold on small margin.
He doesn't like TO wait long time what
ever the price Is. He needs the money
in his business. and until the Pan-Amer-
lean is moro flush than he is a present,
Rhode Island woolens will look for a
market elsewhere.
There is some encouragement, how
lever. in this respect. An outlet is expect
ed in Mexico and the Pan-Amer1can
countries for the cheaper grade OF goods
as soon as returning prosperity strikes
in.
Just at present the manufacturers
smile when they are asked how exten-
slve their export trade is. They wink the
other eye as much as to say they
wouldn't tell II they could.
Mr.. ID. NJ. Thompson. OF the Corliss
works, says very little Rhode Island
made steam engines and machinery goes
abroad. 1t Is nearly all used In the Mid
die and Eastern States. The exports are
hardly worth talking about. Certain
conditions could be made whereby the
opportunity to sell machinery made here
would be greater, but they do not exist
now and are not likely 10 right away.
The particularly fortunate Rhode ISL
and concern in the export business is
the Brown q Sharpe Manufacturing
Company Of Providence. The men In au-
thority at the mandatory will not say
how large the export trade is. but they
admit the company sends it's product
into England, France and Germany All
sorts OF machinery are sent abroad and