Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-16
IMPORTING FINE LACES.
Ninety Per Cent of the $5O.OOO,OOO
Worth Came in Last Year.

Washington, d. c., April, 16.-An
astonishing statement is made Of
ficially by the bureau of manufac-
turers, of the department of COM
merce and labor. 1t is that, of the
$5O,0O0,OO0 worth of laces used in
! this country last year, 80 per cent
of them we're imported, a greater
amount of them coming from Swift
zerland than from any other coun-
try.
A special agent of the bureau of
manufacturers, w. A. g. Clark, has
made special study of the lace in
dustry in Europe with view to OBJ
taining information that will be of
value to American manufacturers.
Reports on the lace industry have
been received from American con-
suls in England, Germany, France,
Belgium and other countries.
1t is notable and interesting that
s42,0OO,0O0 worth of cotton laces
and embroideries were imported
into this country last year. naerly 40
per cent of which came from Swift
zerland. Why all this vast amount
of cotton manufacturers should
come from Switzerland, an interior
country of Europe, which has to
come to America or go to some other
country for its cotton, was puz-
cling problem to American experts.
Further inquiry disclosed the fact
y at $S,000,000 worth of silk laces,
abroideries and ribbons were im-
rted into America, considerable
rcentage of which also came from
ytzerland The total amount of
3 imports from Switzerland last
ar was about $29,000,000, while
nerican exports to that country
gregated less than $4,000. In
| Try developed that fact that, last
ar, Switzerland exported cotton
anufacturers to the aggregate
,ount of 45,000.000, while the
hited States, which produces inn
tense amounts of raw cotton, ex-
(orted only about s26,000,000
worth. The figures indicate that
America is not keeping step with
the world in the manufacture of
cotton. More than that, IL is losing
ground. as the exports of cotton
manufactures from the United
States last year were $4,000, 900
Jess than they were the previous
ear.
II was discovered by agents of
the American government that the
average value of raw cotton i'm
ported into Switzerland last year
was IA cents and fraction per
pound. The average value of the
exports Of cotton manufactures from
Switzerland, principally laees and
embroideries exported from Swift
zerland was s2.07 per pound.
Agents of the United States express
the opinion that the manufacture of
all these articles could be done in !
this country at good profit.
The statistics collected by the |
American agents show that while |
Switzerland has in operation about |
5000 power machines and 10000 /
hand machines for the manufacture
of cotton embroideries and laces.
America has only something less
than a thousand, and all of these
machines have to be imported into
this country.
It is a notable fact that more
of the largest factories in Switzer-
land are owned and controlled by
Americans. who have located their
plants in that country because of
their ability to get the work done at
lower wages than have to be paid
in the United States. In Switzer>
land. stitchers receive from $40 to
s12 a week; 10 the United States,
from SIS to $50. Other employees
receive proportionately lover wages
in Switzerland than in this country.
So, too, It is in France. from which
American imports an immense
amount Of laces and embroideries.
In Belgium and in India the wages
are very low-lover even than In
Switzerland. In such circumstances
4 seems impossible that the United
States ever should come into direct
competition with those countries in
his work. Notwithstanding its ad-
vantage as a producer Of the raw
material.