The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-10
Imports Rapidly Declining, Having
Dropped to 23,52s, no This Year,
Against S3S, S,953, ,92s i'm 1893.
RAW SILK IN GREAT DEMAND
1O,315,161 POUNDS IMPORTED IN 1905.
AGAINST 512,44o IN 1865.
Statistics Showing the Growth of the
Industry i'm Half a Century-Exo-
dus from Washington To-Day.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9.-The announce
ment that the silk manufacturers of the
United States are rapidly increasing the ex-
portation of their products adds interest to
some recently compiled statements by rhe
Treasury Bureau of Statistics regarding the
silk manufactures and importations and ex-
portations of this country during the past
few years. These figures show that the
manufacture of silk in this country has in
creased enormously, 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 being more than so per cent.
in excess of the corresponding months OF
last year, and for the full year will be six
times as much as in 1890.
The manufacture of silk in the United
States, which in 1860 amounted to $6,607 III
in value doubled in the following decade,
being. according to the figures of the census
of 1870, $12, ,662, more than trebled in the
next decade, being in 1880 SAL, ,O33, ,045, and
again doubled from 1880 to 1890 being in the
latter year $S7 .29S, ,454; while a recent COM
pilation by the secretary of the American
Silk Association shows that in the five years
since 1890 the rate of increase has even ac-
CELEBRATED, making it probable that the silk
production of the United States to-day
amounts to nearly or quite $150000,0OO per
annum in value. Meantime the importation
of manufactured silks has fallen rapidly,
that of 1890 being $3S, ,6S6, ,374, and that of 1898
only $23, ,523, 40.
IMPORTS OF RAW SILK.
That the manufacture of silk goods in the
United States has increased very rapidly
within the past year is apparent Importa-
tions of raw silk, which in the fiscal year
1897 were 6513,612 pounds, were, in 1888, TO-
3l5,161 pounds; and the total value of raw
silk imported in 1898 was $31 446,S against
$1S,91S,2S3 in the preceding year. This
enormous increase in the importation of raw
silk is doubtless accounted for not only by
the activity in the great silk manufacturing
centers of this country, but also by the re-
cent announcement that numerous cotton
factories in the New England and the mid
die States have substituted silk manufacture
ing machinery for that formerly used in the
manufacture Of cotton goods, now largely
supplied by the mills located nearer to the
cotton fields Of the South
The growth in the importations of unman-
ufactured silk, which, of course, measure
the manufacture of silk has been steady
..
1868 they amounted to $2,59 ,4O4 in value; in
1S7S $5,995,567; in 1888, $9,9S1 6S2, and in 1885,
$Sl, 446,S00. In the single item of silk raw,
or as reeled from the cocoons," the impor-
tations of 1868 were 512,449 pounds, in 1878,
1.1S2,750 pounds; in 1883, 5173, $40 pounds, and
in 1888, 10,Sl5,161 pounds. During the earlier
part of this period importers held their own
in the contest for the field, but in the last
decade have fallen practically out of the
race. In 1868 the importations of manu-
factured silk were 17,777627; in 1875 &c.,
SS,972; in 1883, $33 ,350 999; in 1890 $685. 374
and in 1898, $25, ,523, 110.
Meantime our manufacturers have an
parently begun giving their attention to the
foreign market; their exports which in 1878
were sl9,032 having increased TO $56,659 in
1883, $16l,673 in 1893 and $297. .074 in 1898 Dur
ing the month of August, 1898, the exports
were $27 PSI, against $21, 400 in August, 1897,
an increase of 80 per cent. in a single year.
A FOOTHOLD ABROAD.
The success of American manufacturers
in supplying the home demand and obtain
ing foothold in the markets of the world
is the more strongly marked since other
nations have failed in their efforts to COM
pete with the great silk manufacturing ma
ton 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 so per
cent. in the last decade being in 1897, 1885,
161 pounds sterling in value, against 2664.-
2i4 pounds sterling in 1888, while the off,
cial reports Of the German government
show that the silk expectations of that
country have decreased in a like propor-
tion, being $45,OO0OOO in 1889, and 26, 900 900 in
1897, France alone having barely held her
own in this line, her exports Of silk man
ufactures in 1890 being So 1852 100 and in 1897,
So, ,2SS. 200.
Silk manufacturing in the United States,
while begun nearly a half century ago,
seems to 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 country had never
reached 100000 pounds while, as already
stated, they were in 1898 more than lOOOO.-
600 pounds. During the civil war and in the
years Immediately following the manufac-
ture of plain dress silks was begun. while at
the present time brocaded silks and satins
are manufactured on a large scale, and
the manufacture of silk pushes and all
varieties of upholstered goods has recently
been successfully developed. In 1860 our
manufacturers Of silk supplied but about 15
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 1880. moro than 80 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 number
A1sr- -