The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-27
BARCELONA.
Her Commerce and ner Present serious
Industrial Crisis.

Arssr sfdsisy Riggs IN NJ C'nfsry N saFss
Barr-lona IL the nerve centre ~ spain
Called not unjustiy the city VI Protest. u 70
foremost az th. city Of great manufacturing
enterprises. great exports ana imports
unfiaxging industry even In the face ~
disaster, and a courage remarkable. cor.
s,s,-rinx the knocktioen blov= which IA
often been dealt to IL. In the -INts-nru
century Cervant.s found IL "A d"hGhtiH.
town and the haven OF strangers IL
MARTINI. cod. ruled tn. -ea for years. and
into its commodious harhor sailed many
rich argo-y from far OF spicy lands. mlAtur
il n rival to Venice and Genoa ih"n fhN
trade fell away and later new ON" ~rrtn-
up with TIA. Philippines and m" Past lh.'
too il gone. hut until within thr last few
months IN. looms and spind-s of Barcelona
hav. never falt.red.
Al present barcelona faces the MO-
serious crisis in its Industrial history ...
FAM. as "A cotton fabric and linen cent.
has given IL international reputation al.
commerce it, looms. 1926 IN numi"r.
support more than 90 iaD operatives. =
chimneyS dot the rollin. landscape bet a".r
the outskirts OF IN" city and III" hills b
Tibidaslo and Sarria a. the prickl"- -'nlI
up from a sea urchin back it, atmo-p,...'
is a. smoky and hazy a. that OF Mah'h"- OF
or I.,.Si. BUT the cotton industric- ht..
fallen upon evil days. II no AID - t"r'.-
coming from the Government IN the l"rl
OF that general panacea for all ill-. sih>'d".
the Catalan spnner- declare that they must
clos. down many OF their looms. rrud,-
NOR, than i?GD turbulent spirits Id.".
i.opardize tn. work u about ln.Hp "'har~.
and los. " hat trade H. left 10 tn. once pro-
porous industry.
La Nutua IL. Fabricantes do Taildos ds
AIyodon, or Cotton Viewers Mutual Nssu.
citation. was formed in July. i"1. {" consider
A .lgN..
industry To restrict production would -
To throw into idlensss thousands Of w"THN"-
To 90 on producing stocks which could not
be-. marketed was ruin for Z he manufacturers
so after much discussion the Mutra Was
formed and "a complicated system ~ export
bounties vas adopted 10 enable spanish
eypnrters to undcT~ell foreign competitors
in any market In other words. tn" 90
porter buying of the manufacturers ~ the
Mulua was paid carefully calculated
bounty or rebate on his purchase. thus
allowing him to sell his Cotton- cheaper
than competing German. English or Amer
can exporters any here IN the World. hal
the Mltua could not ndenniteiy "ontthn"
the bounty. though II Increased exports hy
sending spanish CottOn- into one hundred
and ninety seven markets. most oi winch
received NO spanish COTTON GpouS ""A'''''
in august. 1000. payment Of the hounrrrs
was ~ spended because thos" member ui
the MutIa who did no export trade ,uu
.idsrpd their assessments sacrifice too
great 10 ne met. and petition has been
prp@sntei to the Government asking rN
annual subsidy Of 900 .uOo pe-eia- a.
r,iTu hur,sm.nt the manufacturers pom
ing out Tint # the subsidy TIE not granite.
the Government will probably lose NOR"
tina n that IN taxes duties on raw mht"TIhI-.
A.. In tn" meantime many factories are
,Norkiny on reduced schedules. cotton =
high and the cotton exporters dc' .nr"
generally that virtually no cotton goods are
being shipped abroad. whIle the new prefer
entail American tarin With the Philippine
LII ,art,lnIX XII, on that markrt N"
fact too. that spanish silver H. Stcidi.'
,appr,cintlng m value drprive~ exporters
for the time being OF an advantage long
rnio.rd. exchange has fallen from - iI'f
cent OF dspraCia' ION IN 1905 to - per cen.
at the end Of 1891.
so far a. general commerce j. concerned
however barcelona u IN healthy Crndil ION.
chiefly because Of the fact that much Oi 'h"
capital - foreign and many uf IN" entr'
uriSs- are in foreign hand~ IN" tr"di
iyonnaI~ finds - much business that on"
branch cannot handle II unaldsd, an |!
I another IL equally busy ~ III" other end ~
town German banks and trainwaNS , ren' DO
lighting companies. a Belgian cable, tnr
automobil. factory are ~om" of th" morr
important at tn" manufacturing en'rrpf 80 q
which have largely Increased tn" civ
importance sine" ~" exposition pi l\>N
/ Not far distant. TOO. III san Fcliu Il" i'ulN OTIS,
! il the centre Of the greatest cork Industry
I in spain, with an annual cNppr'atloh 81
about siO.nOo.,sH worth OF finished hottl"
! Corks. shoppers. shaNings. blocks blanks
and wood.