The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-11
GROWTH OF SILK
MANUFACTURES.
Northern Cotton Mills Seeking New
Employment for Their Plants.
THE FOREIGN MARKETS INVADED.
An Increase of Thirty Per Cent. in Ex-
ports in the Past lcar-Eycn
France is Barely Hold
ing Her own.

ing Her Own.
WASHINGTON Oct iO-SpeciaL-Th
announcement that the silk manufactur-
ers OF the United States are rapidly in
creasing the expectation Of their products
ADDS interest to some recently compiled
statements 10y the Treasury Bureau Of
Statistics regarding the silk manufactures
and impOrtatiOns and expectations OF this
country during the past few years. These
figures show that the manufacture OF
silk ga this country has increased enor-
mously. that the imports OF manufactured
silk have meantime been greatly reduced
and the expectations OF silk manufactures
are now increasing very rapidly. the total
exports for the present calendar year be-
ing more than 80 per cent. I'm excess Of the
corresponding months Of last year, and
for the fun year will be six times as
much as IN 1890
TREMENDOUS STRIDES.
The manufacture OF silk in the United
States. which I'm 1860 amounted 10 S6607. III
IN value, doubled in the following decade
being, according 10 the figures OF the
census OF 1870 ST. 20. SOB more than tro-
bled ia the next decade. being in 1850,
SCI. 033.W5. and again doubled from 1850 TO
1890 being I'm the latter year. SS7.29S.fjf;
while a recent compilation by the secre-
tary Of the American silk Association
shows that i'm the five years since 1880
the rate OF increase has even accelerated.
making II probable that the silk produc-
ton of the United States to-day amounts
10 nearly or quite $3.50. 10000 per annum I'm
value.
Meantime the importation Of manufac-
turcd silks has fallen rapidly that of 1890
being $5S6s5,3t and that of 1895 only S23,
23.il0.
GIVING Up COTTON.
That the manufacture of silk goods in
the United States has increased very rap
idly within the past year is apparent
Importauons Of raw silk which i'm the
fiscal year 1927 were b.5l3Gl2 pounds. were
in 1895 l0.gl5i 6l pounds: and the. total
value OF raw silk imported fin 1898 was
s3lA6.SQo, against Sls.9ls 2S3 in the proceed
ing year This enormous Increase in the
Importation of raw silk is doubtless ace
counted for not only by the activity IN
the great silk manufacturing centres OF
this country but also by the recent an
n0uncement that numerous cotton fac
tories in the New England and the Mid
de States have substituted silk manuf3c-
turing machinery for that formerly used
IN the manufacture Of cotton goods now
largely supplied by the mills located
nearer 20 the cotton fields Of the South.
The growth I'm the imrOrtGtions OF I'M
manufactured silks. which of course meas
ure tine manufacture OF silk has been
steady and rapid during the past thirty
years I'm ISIS they amounted 10 81 500 iJt
In value; I'm 1875 1886. So. I'm ISIS $l99}l.-
$50. and i1 lNs SCI .4l6bO. I'm the single
item of silk raw. or as rccicd from the
cocoons' the importations of i>GS We're
5l2i99 pounds. I'm lN1S. l1S2.750 pounds: I'm
ISIS. 5,1l3.ao pounds, and boz lN9N. l03l5.1h
pounds During the earlier part of this
period importers held their own I'm the
contest for the field. but in the last decade
have fallen PRACTICAL out of the race.
In 1865 the importations Of manufactured
silk were SlL01627; i'm 1875. Sl9.S37.gl2; I'm
1SSS S3335O.999; I'm 1890. S3S.6s6,37i. and IN
1885 S235231i0
IN OTHER MARKETS.
Meantime our manufacturer have ap-
parenty begun giving their attention to
the foreign market, their exports which
in ISIS were $1,000 having increased 20
$1,000 I'm lSss Sl6l673 in lSe3 and s2g7O1l in
$685. During the month of August. 1888.
the exports were SZ1251. against S21 400 I'm
August, 1896. an increase of 30 per cent.
in % single year.
The success OF American manufacturers
I'm supplying the home demand and obtain
ing "a f0othod I'm the markets of the
world ls the more strongly marked since
other nations have failed in their efforts
go compete with the great silk manufac-
turing nation OF the world. France. The
statistical abstract Of Great Britain just
issued. shows that the expectation OF silk
manufactures from the United Kingdom
has fallen J0 per cent i'm the last decade.
being in 1901. 13slGl pounds sterling I'm
value. against 2c5i2H pounds sterling IN
ls,S while the official reports of the Ger
man government show that the SILK eXpOr-
tati0ns Of that country have decreased ia
like proportion. being si5.o00o00 in 1889.
and S260a0000 i'm 1897, France alone having
barely held her own n this line her exc
ports Of silk manufactures In 1880 being
So ,c2 200 and IN 1884, S12.2c.700
HISTORY ~ THIS COUNTRY.
Six manufacturing I'm the United States
while begun necrly a haif-century ago.
seems 90 have developed almost exclusive
Is i'm the last half of that period. Prior
10 $50 the importations OF raw silk for
uee fn the manufactures In this country
had never reached 100000 pounds while,
as already stated. they We're I'm ls9S more
than 100000 pounds During the civil
war and In the years Immediately follow
ing the manufacture OF plain dress silks
was begun. while az the present time bro-
cadcd silks and satins are manufactured
on a large scale and the manufacture Of
silk pushes and all varieties OF upholster-
cd goods has recently been successfully
developed. I'm $500 our manufacturers Of
silk supplied but about r. per cent. OF the
consumption in the United States, by 1870
they were supplying 30 per cent. of the
amount consumed IN the United States.
BY $50. more than 50 per cent: In 1880. ~
per cent and to-day it is estimated that
81 per cent. Of The silk goods used In the
United States are the products of our own
factories.
The following table presents the number
NJ silk manufacturing establishments in
the United States and value Of their pro-
ducts. shown by each census since 1850:
Year. no. of Value Of
Establishments Products.
isio...... .......l59......... ..........S G0lTl
lsl1..... ........ s6......... mann. l22l0 6G2
i'>0...... ........3s2....... ......... 4l.022 0E
lo5O..... ........fl2....... ......... s., POS fjf