Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-10-20
CHANCE FOR TEXTILES.

Industry Now Said to Be Making
Opportunities in the Orient.
The market of Asiatic Turkey for
calicoes, prints and other cotton tex
tiles has never received the attention
turers and exporters, says Consul
Thomas II. Norton at Smyrna. The
value of the total annual imports of
such goods into the Asiatic provinces
Of Turkey now exceeds $20000,000 and
Smyrna and the adjacent territory alb
serb nearly one-quarter of the trade.
The weight of the annual importations
of cotton goods into the port of Smyr
ma is more than 5000 tons. The united
kingdom Of Great Britain enjoys the
bulk of this profitable trade, her eXpor-
tations to Smyrna last year amounting
in value to $2,140,000. Italy comes
next, with a record of $763,OOO, and the
United States third, with a record of
| $151,000 The balance is shared by
Germany, France, Hungary,
| Belgium, Switzerland and Holland,
| only the first two of which can show
more than 100000 in the value of
their exports.
Great Britain has practically a mo-
nopoly in the market for muslins, mulls,
printed and colored handkerchiefs and
| furnishes most of the calicoes and
| white goods, bleached and unbleached.
Italy contributes many unbleached cot
ton. Drills come chiefly from Italy,
Great Britain and France. Heavy cot
ton cloth is supplied chiefly by Ger
many and Austria, a certain amount
coming lately from Greece. Cotton
| shawls are sent from Germany and
Austria. America contributed but lit
tie to the trade except the standard
gray sheetings, the cabot" SO thor
oughly appreciated throughout the
orient In certain distributing points
In the interior the "cabot" occupies a
predominant place in the market.
The city of Koniah requires annually
| 10000 pieces Of American cabot" A
good indication Of a fairly prosperous
community is afforded by the trade of
the island Of Mitylene. The annual mi
portation of foreign cotton goods there
is valued at $4,000. 1t includes g.
| 600 pieces of drills, black and white;
1850 pieces of gray shirtings, 1900
pieces of madapollam shirtings, bleach
ed and unbleached, and 1000 pieces of
cabot"
While the American trade in cabot
illustrates the durable success to be
attained by continued adherence to
high standard of production in a single
article, American manufacturers ought
to consider whether it is not worth
while to cater to the widespread de-
mand in the Turkish market for very
cheap cotton textiles. OF ginghams
and other light cottonades local pro-
duction is steadily increasing, but this
fails to gain on the growing demand.
The trade in these articles at Smyrna
amounts to about 100000 each year.
1t consists of goods costing from 10 to
20 cents a meter, for widths varying
from so to 10 centimeters. Italy at
present is the country which chiefly
supplies this market Then follow in
order Switzerland, France, Germany,
Austria and Great Britain. The Uni
ted States is hardly known in this mar
ket
4 field in which there is no local
competition is that Of calicoes and
prints. Here also Italy leads in the
sales, absorbing % per cent of the
business. Great Britain holds % per
cent and other European countries 10
per cent additional. Germany is now
devoting special attention to the prep
aration of designs which meet the pop
ular taste. and promises soon to obtain
a strong foothold in the market.
This matter Of design is, indeed, all
important in an effort to capture the