The times., 1898-10-12
DOMESTIC MADE SILKS.
ihey Are Rapidly Crowdfne Ont
ImpOrtutions

Importntions
Inc announcement that the silk manu-
Iaeturers Of the United States are randi
iy increasing the expectation of their
products adds interest 10 some raca,,gv
compiled statements by the Treasnr,-
Bureau of Statistics regarding the s;1,
manufactures and importations and ex-
portations of this country during the mast
few years
Ihese hgures show that the manufact
ure OF silk in this country has increased
enormously; that the imports of mann
Iactured silk, meantime, have been great
~ reduced, and that the exportations of
SILK manufactures are now increasfno,
very rapidly, the total exports for the
present calendar year being more than
0o per cent in excess of the eorresnond-
nlS months Of last year, and for the fuu
year VIII be six times as much as in 1se0
Inc manufacture of silk in the United
states, which in 1860 amounted 10 Is so7
90 IN value. doubled in the following dec
aoe' Deing, according to the figures OF
the census of 1870 $12. 30, ss2: more than
reoied IN the next decade, being In 1850
'45, and again doubled from 1SSn 70
1890 being in the latter year, Ss7. .2sS. .454
| A recent compilation by the secrata-v
of the American Silk Association sb,,,.
that in the five years since 1850 rbA rsta
OF increase has even accelerated. making
1t probable that the silk production Of
the United States today amounts TO near
/ Ivy or quite s150,0O0.00O per annu-n in
value. Meantime the Importation OF
manufactured silks has fallen RAPIDLY TIA,
/ Of 1880 being $3s 6ss, S74 and that Of 1ses ON
ly $23, ,523 110.
/ That the manufacture Of silk goods
in the United States mas increased very
| rapidly within the past year is apparent
/ ImpoFtations Of raw silk, which In r.-.
/ fiscal year 1851 were 6.513.sl2 pounds
were, in 1855. I03l5,l61 pounds. and rba
total value Of raw silk imported in 7sq2
was s3l.446.S00, against sIS.sls 2S3 i, -b.
preceding year. This enormous fncrza-,
/ IN the importation Of raw silk is doubt
/ less accounted for. not only bv the ac-
/ uvity in the great silk rnanufar-7,-i,,..
centeFs OF this country but also bv tbs
I recent announcement that nurnero11s cr+
I ton factories IN the New England AMI
/ Middle States have substituted silk manu-
I Iacturlng machinery for that forrnerIv
used IN the manufacture Of cotton goods
now largely supplied by the mills located
nearer 10 the cotton fields of the South
The growth in the impOrtations OF IN
manufactured silk, which Of course meas
ure the manufacture of silk. has been
steady and rapid during the past thirty
years In 1868 they amounted 10 g 52a
fe4 in value; in 1873. s. S95 6s7; in Isss BIC
s5l 6S2, and in 1895, S31, ,4i6 500. In the sinzIs
item OF silk raw or as reeIed from the
/ cocOons.' the importations of 1865 were
non A. -
1888. o.113.s40 pounds, and in 1895, l0sI5.lsI
pounds, During the earlier part of fFfs
period importers held their own in me
contest for the field. but in the last dec
ade nave fallen practically out OF tbs
race In 1865 the importations OF manu-
factured silk were s17,7 7.627: in 1873. SO
sS7.s72; in 1SSs S33. 80. .s5s in 1880. S3s-6ss.-
374 and in 1898. &23. .529. 10.
Meantime our manufacturers have ap-
parently began giving their attention 10
the foreign market; their exports which IN
lsIs were $l9632 having increased 10 S5s-
$50 in lSSS. S161.673 in 1893, and S2g7. .O74 in
1898. During the month OF August 1898.
the exports were so 251, against S2l. 100 in
August. 1897. an increase OF 30 per cent IN
a single year.
The success of American manufacturers
in supplying the home demand and OBJ
tanning foothold IN the markets of the
world is the more strongly marked since
other nations have failed in their efforts
10 compete with the great silk manufact-
uring nation OF the world France TIE
statistical abstract of Great Britain lust
issued shows that the expectation OF silk
manufactures from the United Kingdom
ir3s fallen 30 per cent in the last decade.
! bStng in 1887. 1,SSS,l61 pounds sterling in
value, against 26G4 Pa pounds sterling in
lsSS while the official reports of the Ger
man government show that the silk ex-
portations of that country have decreas-
ed In Ike proportion. being Ss5. Geo O06 in
1889. and S26. eco in 1887. France alone
having barely held her own in this line
her exports OF silk manufactures in 1SeO
being So. POO and in 1881. So. .2S3 700
SIX manufacturing in the United
States. while begun nearly half cen
tury ago. seems 10 have developed almost
exclusively in the last half of that period
Prior TO 1870 the importatiOns OF raw silk
for use in the manufactures in this coun-
try had never reached 100000 pounds,
while. as already stated they were in
1SSS more than 10000 coo pounds During
the Civil War and in the years fmmedf-
ately following the manufacture OF plain
dress silks was begun. while at the pres
ent time brOcaded silks and satins are
manufactured on a large scale and the
manufacture of silk plushes and all va
rieties OF upholstered goods has recently
been successfully developed. In 1861 our
manufacturers of silk supplied but about
10 per cent of the consumption in the
United States; by 1870 they were supply
ing 90 per cent of the amount consumed
in the United States; by 1850 more than
50 per cent; in 1890 20 per cent. and to-
day it is estimated that S5 per cent Of the
silk goods used in the United States are
the products of our own factories
The following table presents the num-
Der Of silk manufacturing establishments
| in the United States and value Of their
products, shown by each census since
1860:
Number Of Value Of
Year. Establishments Products
1850 40 ff-