The sun., 1916-01-30
u. S. LARGEST PRODUCER
OF SILK IN THE WORLD
Unprecedented Business Activity During Past Year At
tiibuted to Fashion and to
- European War.

ncrea scd demand for this latter material
owing not only to fashions sanction or
| velvets and plushes but to the scarcity
| Of furs and the greater suitability to
our climate of these lighter than fur
materials. These too are among the
new merchandise, many OF them new
| this year.
There has been from time to time an
! effort made to promote the raw silk In
dustry in the United States, both by the
| Government and individuals, but 1T APP
pears all attempts have failed. princi-
pally because In Italy, China and Japan
the raising of the silk worm is next door
| to a household industry. Also there Is
no duty on the raw material, and the
wages of those engaged abroad are
about 90 cents "A day. making compet-
ton strong. Nevertheless the success
of the manufactured silk in this country
during the past half century has been
almost phenomenal. and American man
ufacturers haXe about decided to leave
the silk worm to his native soil.
! silk IL a stolen secret from China, as
the chinese were the first to Utilize the
worm, and for years kept the process
secret and the worm within home
bounds by placing a terrible penalty
upon the head of any person who should
expose the secret. Nevertheless the silk
worm finally found its way to England
through "a couple OF Englishmen dis
guised as monks, who carried the worms
to the King in their walking STATS. SO
! as China has been in the cultivation Of
the silk worm business since before the
days of Henry VIII. she is amply
equipped to furnish American manufac-
turcrs.
So 1t will be econ that silk manufac-
turcrs are content to let the cultivation
of raw silk pretty much alone. but not so
with the dye industry. another species
of raw materials to silk. on which the
duty was lowered from so cents a pound
and an addition of 30 per cent. on value
to the 3j per cent. which is not sufficient
to invite American competition. Ger
many has had the monopoly on dye-
stuffS, with no serious complications un-
I'll that country went to war. Then came
the agitation over the tariff. as no CAPT
talist IL Is said. will risk financing a
dye plant with Germany ready to com
pete as soon az the war is over.
ON the other hand the manufactured
silks have been protected by a tarff
Of practically 80 per cent since 1867
to which fact the silk industry in
/ America owes its success. As before
stated the imports of silk are compare
lively small and the imported silks are
prohibitively high in price This under
, ordinary circumstances should balance
the dye situation, hut along comes a
war. throwing everything out OF bal
auce. and IL becomes necessary To- manu-
taCture dyes at home. So silk manu-
facturers are no longer content to lei
the manufacture of dye alone.
This is the only dark spot in th'
very bright outlook In the silk indus
try for the coming year Fashion st'l
DEGREES that silk shall be worn, and
, with the general business boom higher
+ than it has been In ten years and st
going strong no better combination
could be- desired. The outlook IL for
continued demand for large orders %
silk during the spring and summer. Tn,
. census of 1910 showed lo5.23s people
employed in the silk industry. but tn,
number even then was very muCl
greater, as the census shows only thoe'
' . directly employed IN silk factories anC
! does not include those employed II
. dependent Industries, as dyc!ng. throw
; lng." printing, &c.. recorded separately
9 Neither docs II record those cmploye,
u in other industries through the use O
\ silk. as wooilen. cotton. knit goods sc
= In 1860 only 1000 persons were cm
$ ployed and the SILK produced was onl
: to the amount of between six and sever
= million dollars. To-day's output is II
L excess Of the census of 19l0 which put
y the figures at sl96,00o, o00.