Evening journal., 1905-05-15
OUR SILK INDUSTRY.
Past and Present Features OF
Its Growth.
FRANCE AMERIoAs ONLY RIVAL.

In Misunderstanding SILK We Hold Sec
ond Place In the world, and I'M
pOrtations Arc Rapidly Declining.
Annual Output OF American Mills
Now Exceeds sIO0. 1000, 900 In value.
Recently issued government statls-
tics show that the United States is the
second silk manufacturing nation in
the world. France being its only rival,
says the Washington correspondent OF
the New York Post. It is a farzcall
from 1909, when James 1. fsine0fiu an
endeavor to introduce silk culture dnto
the American colonies, to the present
day, with the annual output Of Ameri-
can mills aggregating $107, 100000, but
in these three centuries this particular
industry has kept pace with the de-
velopment Of the country. James l..
made another effort at introducing the
silk industry into the colonies in 1919,
and this time with somewhat greater
success, but until the close OF the Rev
olutionary war It languished in spite
Of royal and colonial bounties. Con-
necticut took it up in 1888, and the in
dustry had an uncertain and not very
promising career from that time until
after the middle Of the last century.
California was the last state to pay
silk bountles, and it stopped them in
1860.
The importations OF silk are rapidly
declining. American mills supply most
Of the American demand and are com
peting with France and southern Eu-
ropean countries, and also with China,
Japan and India, for the trade Of the
rest Of the world SILK was first made
in China, and authentic history notes
the use Of that article there as early
as the year 2640 b. c.
China guarded the secret OF the man
ufacture jealousy, and it was not until
the third century OF the present era
that Japan learned how silk was made.
There is a legend that Japanese royal
princess, returning from visit TO Chi
ma, concealed several cocoons IN her
hair and afterward taught her coun-
trymen the secret OF the industry as
she had learned it herself. A little
later the industry travelled overland
to India, whence 1t went to Persia and
was from that country taken. .tosGreece
by Alexander the Great.
The FIRST notice Of the silkworm in
western literature was made by Aris-
totle England first came into contact
with the industry through the encour-
agement OF Henry VI. and Louis XI.
established It IN France. Cortes
brought the first silkworms to Mexico
two years after his conquest in 1922
Such. in a few words, is the history OF
this great industry as Uncle Sans sta
tistics record it.
The development Of sericulture IN the
United States since 1850 has been rap.
i'd. There were then sixty-seven silk
manufacturing plants, and they had
capital aggregating S6TS,O0o. employ.
ing 1,T23 wageworkers, who were paid
annually $4,000. The total value OF
the output in that year was $1,90o,OOO
To make It 100000 pounds OF raw silk
were consumed. In 1900 there were
4S3 silk manufacturing plants In the
United States, with an aggregate cspl
tai Of Ss1,OOOOOO, employing 65,5OC
hands and paying them $21,oo0o00 q
year In wages The value Of the out
put in 1900 was S1O7, ,25O,0 600, for which
100000 pounds OF rawt silk were
used, valued at S45,OOO,O0O.
In 1890 the imports of SIR INTO the
United States amounted to $4,000, 600
and by 1850 they had reached 1T,50O,
600. This grew by 1860 to $4,000
The total imports in 1900 were $30.000,-
600. These figures, since 1850. do not
include raw silk. but only the finished
product. With the exception OF France
the United States is now the largest
importer Of Chinese and japanese raw
silk. The United States imported more
raw silk from China in 1900 than all
Europe except France. The sgalue OF
spun silk imported into the United
States in 1900 was only $3.50oO00 as
compared with our own output OF that
year, which was valued at'$1oI. .25o, 600
Another way of showing the rapid
increase Of the industry In the United
States is this In 1860 only 13 per cent
OF the silk used here was home manu-
factured. This percentage had increas
ed to 3s In 1880 and to 55 In 1890 and
to 20 in 1900. The real figure is con.
siderably more than this, because the
80 per cent allowed for imported silks
covers not only the cost Of the goods
at the place Of export, but the carriage
across the water and the high tariffs
collected at the ports Of import Gov.
ernment reports show that s. per cent
of all silk ribbons used In the United
States is manufactured there.
This American industry is largely
confined TO Eve states-New Jersey
Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York
and Massachusetts, In the order named
The capital invested In New Jersey
is S29.500,OO in Pennsylvania S21, ,0O0,-
600. in Connecticut S12,000.0Q0. in New
York S11.oOOOO0 and in Massachusetts
s5,e0o000.