The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-04-26
COTTON IN AUSTRIA
Spinning Is a Growing IN
dustry in that Empire.
BIG FACTORIES IN BOHEMIA
Interesting Facts About the BUSH
ness Presented by Special Agent of
State Department Manufacture
Started by Germans, but Czechs
Are Now Their Rivals.


Started by Germans, but CEechs
Are Now Their Rivals.
Cotton spinning seems to be a growing
industry IN Austria. In recent years. &C
cording 10 the views OF Special Agent
Graham Clark, of the State Department.
who has made a recent study Of the sub
ject. there has been a large absorptive
demand for yarn and cloths IN the home
market, which has enabled the mills 70
make good profits without a total de-
pendance upon export trade. On the gen.
eral conditions Of the industry Mr.. Clark
says:
| The cotton mills in austria divide them.
selves into four separate groups; The
/ Bohemian mills along the northern Dor
der, the lower Austrian mills lying just
south of Vienna. the Vorarlberg mills
and the mills around Trieste.
| The first section, the Bohemian mills
/ is by far the most important, and b.
hemia now contains about 90 per cent OF
tA4I mans VI ttAI AOAAtAA AAtIoC 4AtAAAo az
along the northern border and are geo.
graphically and commercially close tC
the Saxon and Silesian mills just over the
| line Some Saxon mills depend for their
yarn on the Bohemian spinner, and when
as in 1906, the German weayers have an
unusually flush period this business in
| ereases largely. The center OF the Bohe.
milan cotton industry Is Reiehenberg
which is therefore practically the center
OF the industry in Austria Within g
short distance from this place are many
cotton manufacturing towns. including
such places as Grottau. Ketten. Kratzau
| Machendorf, Tunau, Halbstadt. Eisen-
brOd. JOsepstadt, Tannwald. Morchen-
stern, &c, all Of which are steadily grow
/ ing In Importance as cOtton-mill centers
Rivalry of Czechs and Germans.
The Bohemian cotton industry was
started and is now owned by German.
speaking people OF German descent, The
Czech-speaking people. however. have be
/ gun TO start an industry OF their own and
have built up quite a group OF mill towns
which center around Naehod, not far e
the eastward Of Reichenberg. OF some
/ 6,31s,0O0 people contained in Bohemia
about two-thir6s are OF the Czechish.
Slavonie race, and the others are mainly
Of Teutonie descent. These latter ar,
scattered. but occupy mainly the western
and northern portions, while ,the Czechl
are strongest in the central and eastern
portions. There is great rivalry between
/ v~fvr f--v~ 7s v,r.n~r4l
is having its effect in stimulating each q
get ahead OF the other in extent OF bust
ness and has led 10 many new mills. Tn,
Bohemian industry In general has the ad
vantage of proximity to coal fields, Of ;
better class OF help, and Of being in close
touch with the great manufacturing ma
ton over the border
The second section OF mills are grouped
Just south of Vienna and especial!
around Pottendorf. This section Of Low
er Austria is one OF the oldest eottoT
manufacturing localities in Austria. anC
before the time Of railroads or Of mod
ern mill machinery was quite a hand
loom center and cotton from Adana
Smyrna, Greece, SC. was brought in a
Trieste and then carted a long distanc,
and through some steep mountain passe
over to the lowlands OF this section
These mills are nearest to the expor
! commission houses, which are mainly
lcentered at Vienna, and enjoy favorable
banking advantages, but their class o
help does not seem 10 be quite as good g.
that Of Bohemia, and recently. with in
crease in mills and the drafts made OF
them for operatives by Hungarian mills
there has been scarcity of labor.
The third group OF mills lie in the Yo
rarlberg, which Is the extreme western
section Of Austria that juts up into th'
Swiss highlands. The mills IN this sec
ton are largely dependent on the EN-
broidery trade for the consumption o.
their yarns and cloths. and their profits
rise or fall with the prosperity Of THU
branch of industry. They ship some
goods to the Swiss embroidery factories
lying around St Gall. but otherwise the!
do little export business.
The fourth and smallest section OF thi
Austrian cotton-manufacturing industr!
lies in Kustenland and Krain arounC
Trieste. These mills use a larger proper
ton of East Indian cotton than the othe
mills. They are more favorably situated
for export, but the labor difficulty Il
greater In regard to quality as we'll al
quantity of help. the mills are more ESQ
lated, and they are farther from the ma
chinery makers, from the bleacheries ant
dye houses. from the financial eenters
&C., SO that the industry is not building
up much at this point.
Prosperous Years in Manufacture.
During 1906 and 1907 Austria enjoyed al
unusual measure Of prosperity, and thi
was especially felt by the cotton indus
try, A series Of FIVE years of exception
ally good crops have increased the ab
sorptive power Of the people 10 a degre
that more than compensated for the de
cline Of their exports TO one Of thei
principal markets caused by the custom
war with servia. The quality Of the pro
duction has been raised and the min
now produce yarns and cloth that wa
formerly exclusively imported. The i'm
ports Of cotton manufactures do not a.
yet show any decrease in quantity, bu
the home mills have filled large part o
the enlarged home demand that woul,
otherwise have been secured By foreign
mills. and In addition, the Bohemian mills
have shipped good quantities Of yarn Owe
the border to supply the needs Of Saxol