The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-06-04
TEXTILE INDUSTRY
OF UNITED STATES
How Near We Come to Clothing
Ourselves-Reduction in Price
nf Gill


the New York Evening Post says th
the census experts are now studyi
the textile bulletins to see how ne
the American people come to clothr
themselves. The showing which Il
final returns will BRING to light prol
ises TO be most gratifying. Like +;
new countries with plenty of land, Il
United States started in as exporte
of food products and importers of te.
tiles, and while this continues to
the general line of our information,
trade, the strides that our manufa
turers have made in supplying th
home markets have been phenomina
We still export little in dry goods.
cotton our natural advantage for Q,
port purposes is the greatest, and a
though our exports are destined
grow rapidly, especially in China an
the Far East, as yet only one-eigh
teenth of our spindles, it ls estimated
are employed in the foreign trade
Practically speaking, we do not expor
wooden goods, silks or linens; O
linens, indeed; we manufacture rela
lively little for our own consumption
The development of the coming de
cade will doubtless be marked by
further lessening of the importation O
wooden goods, silks and cotton, al
ready very small, and considerable in
crease in the exports of the coarse
cotton fabrics. Linen will probabl,
remain at a standstill III its relation t(
our trade, since as a world product il
is steadily declining in importance.
Linen seems to be unable to stand
against The competition of cotton, The
world over, except in a few lines, in
which Its physical properties will al.
ways give it pre-eminence; these lines
are toweling, table.cloths, napkins,
handkerchiefs, cuffs, shirt.bosoms and
seashore garments. Most of the flax
that is now used for spinning comes
from Russia, although the best pre-
pared Russian flax is brought out of
Belgium. The ilax-growing industry
in Ireland is rapidly declining, the peo-
pie finding other agricultural pursuits
more profitable. The labor attending
the preparation of flax fibre is very
The process is known
as "retung," which is modification
of "rotting," just as the process itself
is the arrest at certain stage of what
would be the rotting of the flax if al
lowed to continue. American farmers
will not, as rule, do this work, nor
have they been induced to undertake
the business by the reported success of
the chemical methods adopted IN Eu-
rope. There is, moreover, no object
for our farmers to raise flax for fibre
when its growth for seed is so much
more profitable. Some use is found
for the flax straw grown in this coun-
try, in the manufacture of coarse
grade of toweling, but in order TO
make it SPIN satisfactorily some adj
of cotton is necessary.
The present duties on linen manu-
factures are said to be very satlsfac-
tory to those Interested in the busi-
ness, even though most of the STAN
dard grades of these goods are still i'm
ported, and many continue to be. We
here fair grade of tow
cling, and seem TO succeed particular
ly in the crash-towcl which is used
very largely in the kitchen. Very
good flax toweling is made at Mills,
Mass, by process of degummiDg
which is kept secret. We also produce
a high-grade linen thread for use in
the manufacture of shoes. Some of
our cotton mills, according to the sta.
tistical returns, are doing good busi-
ness in the manufacture of what pass
as linen fabrics, but are in reality q
mixture of linen and cotton. The rea-
son the higher and "better balanced
schedules of the Dingley tariff bill
have not resulted in putting the linen
industry on more substantial footing
In this country, aside from such spc.
cialties as have been named, is that
the business of the world is not pros
porous, as shown by the consular re
ports. Although linen is more durable
and otherwise excels cotton, it canno
be sold in competition with it Tor an,
wide range of popular uses.
Wool holds place in the industria
economy from which it is not likely t,
be dislodged. The peculiar propertie
by which it keeps the heat out, ant
at the same time holds the heat in
make 1t a clothing fibre of the utmos
value. Statistics show great increas,
in its use in the South, and knit-gOod
manufacturers Individually tell th
same story. A few years ago, wher,
they had no trade at all in a city lik
New Orleans, they have today well
established business. The demand il
the South seems to be for knit good
containing not more than half wool ii
the mixture.
WoOlen manufacturers seem to b
generally prosperous, in spite of th
high duties of the raw material, an
aside from an occasional strike. i
must be acknowledged that any indus
try which cannot obtain its raw ma
terial in the free markets of the worl
labors under disadvantage, and par
ticularlY ls this 80 with wool. Th
growers have always promised to Civ
the wool manufacturers q sunicien
quantity and quality, but they hav
never done so. They began promis
ing this with the tariff of 1867, bu
have continued rcmiss on both point
to the present day. The chief troubl
is in the quality of American wool 70
the better grade of fabncs. 1t make
an excellent wrap, especially the woo
grown in Ohio, but the necessary ms
terial for fine spinning for pliable an
soft goods cannot be obtained i'm thi
country in any quantity. 1t has I
c)me from Australia and the Argel
tine Republic, and pay exorbitant dl
ties. Wool for face'Iinished goods
not obtainable in this country, bl
must be had from the warmer region