Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-19
Government Gathers Statistics o,
Trade Conditions.
LARGE Majority Of Interests Are Of the
Manufacturing Glass Reichenbers
Maintains Industrial Supremacy,
With 1882 Various Concerns.

Washington, May l6 Consul silas
p Mcfarland, Of Relchenberg, Austria,
formerly editor of the Marshalltown
Times.Republiean who year ago
changed stations with Consul n W.
Mahin the latter now being at Mott.
ingham, England writes TO The state
department concerning Austria, indust.
fialiy, giving Information that win he
OF general interest aside from that fact
that II comes from an Iowa man. Mr..
Mcfarland says
AS a result OF many years agita.
ton Of the subject by commercial in
terests, the government OF Austria.
Hungary early in 1902, made provi-
sion for an elaborate industrial cen.
sus This work in Bohemia was as
signed TO the official chambers of com.
mefee. namely at Prague, Reichen.
berg Eyer, Budweis anu Pilsen. each
OF which governs q specified territory.
The work in the Reichenberg district
has lust been completed, at a cost OF
S2l,5lS~-i 040 enlimeratprs having
been employed. The full report is not
YET available, but d summary OF re.
suits has been given out by the presi.
dent OF the chambers
Large Industrial Interests.
Aside from lis statistical value. the
summary diseloses industrial condi.
tons perhaps not generally appreciat.
ed. The territory embraces 3 .120. 13l
acres and has apopulation slightly in
excess Of 2,006,000 When Ii is con.
q s,,i.s +. ..4t.
iiation OF only 10000. is the largest
toxin. u is seen that the distribution
OF inhabitants throughout the district
must be general Within this area are
scattered l16,257 independent manu-.
featuring commercial trade, aud pro,
dpctiye concerns, employing 4G0.327
persons, exclusive OF I05.867 employed
IN home industry 10 this latter
class belong i5,544 engaged in various
Processes d glass finishing 6.769 In
wood Mo0d-carying and wicker work
G9,2ll ~ the textile trade and S...75
il the manufacture Of dress orna.
lnents and flowers
Mary Little Villages.
These home workers live III the
little VILLAGES, Which stretch almost
continuously aipng tho banks of NOM.
tain streams and in the wider valleys.
and the women and girls in great bas-
lsets slung on their backs, carry tho
raw and finished goods between home
ana factory over steep mountain paths,
which III winter are covered with
snow and ice The factories them
selves are widely scattered compelled
70 seek water where II can be found
ia the mountains and valleys, with ap.
parent disregard of transportation la.
cilities. Thus, around an Isolated fac
tory viii grow up a little village. the
Inhabitants of which, directly or indi-
rectly. are dependent upon the work. it
furnishes, and whose children grow
ZIP with no other expectation than
that Of taking their parents places as
factory hands. This process develops
families Of specialists whose method
Of HE Is primitive and whose very OK
istenee depends upon the prosperity
Of their particular factory for the
high altitude ana the character Of eli.
mate and sell make agriculture but a
poor supplement even most vegetable
supplies being imported either from
Germany Or southern Bohemia
Manufacturing Establishments.
Of the f16,257 Industries ana oecu
patlons 74,548 are manufacturing con.
Germs 4i062 trade and professional
ana g47 engaged III original produc
ton such as mining farming, etc Tho
following are the principal groups
Preparation Of spinning material 1874
concerns spinning and weaving woo
and hair wool 8GS; spinning and weaN