The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-11-28
LACK OF PERSIAN RUGS.
An Importer Gives Reasons For The
DearLh of Smnerinr MeaNes.

An Importer Gives Reasons For The
Dearth of Superior Weaves.
A well-known importer of this city,
recently returned from the orient, talks
interestingly to every woman able to
own a Persian rug. He says:
THE Persian government is soon to
pass a law imposing a heavy duty on
all rugs exported from Persia which
are colored with aniline dyes has Sc
rously injured the rug trade in Persia,
and as this is the chief industry of
poor country the government has at
last awakened to the fact that it must
be protected.
There is soon to be a considerable
advance in price of nearly all varie-
ties of Persian and Turkish rugs, to
last for a year or two at least. For this
there ere several reasons. The output
of the Persian looms has been very
small the last year. and in some cases
the entire supply has been exhausted
without in the least satisfying the Am
erican demand. Unusually rainy
weather has caused deep floods in Per-
STA. The rug weavers there set up
their looms and work in the open air.
When it rains work is impossible, and
when the floods come the looms cannot
even be set up. Also, it has been al
most impossible to transport rugs from
.
have been washed away and made im-
passable for the caravans.
! Furthermore, the market is seeking
a healthier price level For several
years. the prices have been unreason-
ably low. Rugs which were bought in
Constantinople ten years ago for els
to G1S within the last two or three
years have been selling for G4h of Go.
Turkish exporting houses have many
Lee H..sT
getting on the anxious seat. In Per-
STA the loom operatives have lost heav-
lily through INSCRIPTIONS spectators.
The fact that many retail buyers for
| department stores, etc, are now pur-
chasing abroad has also helped to raise
the price, since the orientals can COM
prehend no difference between the
wholesale importer and the retail inn
porter.
Fine KermAns have jumped 60 pei
cent, and the supply is almost exhaust
ed. Bokharas are almost entirely out
of the market. The best Afghans are
20 per cent higher. The higher grade
rugs of almost all varieties are getting
rare. Antiques have gone up ant
|, there is hardly a fine rug to be founC
in Constantinople. AS soon as gooC
. things appear in the market they arr
gobbled up. though there is plenty o
ruDDlSh TO be round at cheap prices.
IN the past the foreign buyers anC
5 the Turkish exporting houses hav,
beaten down the native loom weaver
in their prices The natural result ha
been that the native produced an in
= ferior rug for the smaller payment, an,
l large portion of the rugs manufac
l tured steadily de1eriorated in quality
q Recently, however, certain Europea
- and American business men have gain
- ed control of a large number of loom
t in Persia. These are strictly nativ
looms, with native workmen, with Eu
rOpean and American business and fl
l nancial supervision. AS a result c
this movement the Tabriz rugs are in
1 proving wonderfully. The designs ar
good; the hideous orange reds haV
been left out; curling up at the corner
70 has been done away with; only vege
;e table dyes are used, and the rugs al
l. much finer and softer.
The importer believes that the na
- tive workmen were never more capS
l. BILE or had better facilities, and that
they were paid sufficiently could NAL
2 as beautiful rugs as were made in Il
Sc fifteenth and sixteenth centuries"
r. The Upholsterer