TEXTILE MANUFACTURING IN THE UNITED STATES.—STATISTICS. The importance of the textile industry in the United States is seen from the accompanying table from the Twelfth Census, which shows 35.3 per cent. increase in the capital invested, during the last decade of the last century, over the decade immediately preceding; an increase of 23.9 per cent. in the annual amount of ‘vages paid for the same period; but only 22.4 per cent. increase in the annual value of the manufactured product. 'Phis latter condition is explained by the de creased cost of production, due to the improved machinery and to a decreased cost of the several raw materials. An exact knowledge of the general growth of the industry is difficult to arrive at, in consequence of the above and other varying conditions, and prob ably the best idea of its growth is the increase of wage-earners as shown by decades in Table II. In spite of the fact that the improved machinery makes the productive power it one man's labor many times greater than it was a half century ago, the increase in wage-earners each decade has exceeded the general growth of the population except between 1S50 and 1860.
the use of cotton shows a wonderful increase from 1880 to 1900, due largely to the develop ment of the cotton-manufacturing industry in the Southern States, which bids fair to monopolize the production of the medium and coarser grades of cotton fabrics.
It is difficult to obtain exact information about the relative importance of the United States in the manufacture of textiles, as the statistics are collected in no other coun try with the thoroughness which characterizes the American census. The accompanying tables give in the most comprehensive way the opinions of the most capable statisticians. One might in fer from Table VI. that in 1900 the United States led the world in the manufacture of cotton goods; yet it is universally known that Great Britain is far in the lead in cotton manufactur ing; but because of the fact that the greater part and in Table IV., which shows not only the 'com bined textiles,' but each individual industry classed to show conditions each decade from 1850 to 1900.
The increase in the amount of the various raw materials used by decades from 1840 to 1900 is shown by Table V., which also furnishes a measure of the relative growth of the several in dustries. It is well to notice in this connection, however, that because of the unsettled conditions in the Southern States from 1S60 to 1870 there was a decrease in the amount of cotton used, while for each decade there is a large and steady increase in the amount of wool used. During the twenty-year period 1S60 to 1880 the amount of cotton used did not double itself, while the use of wool increased over 300 per cent.; but of the spindles in the United States run on coarse or medium-sized yarns, and those of Eng land on much finer yarns, the United States act ually spins more pounds of the raw material.
None of the European countries equals the United States in spindles, so that the latter is second only to Great Britain.
The relative standing of the countries in wool manufacturing is more difficult to arrive at ac curately ; but the following table, compiled from a trade circular of Messrs. Helmuth, Schwartz & Co., London, who are recognized as authority on the production and consumption of wool throughout the world. and from figures made up by the National Association of Wool Manu facturers (13ullet in for November, 1900)—the nearest year of comparison being 1S94—shows the net pounds available for home consumption in the several countries. It might be said that Great Britain, France. Germany, and Austria Hungary produce fully five-sixths of all the woolen goods made in Europe, Great Britain being in the lead.
The statistical position of the several countries engaged in silk manufacturing is readily seen in Table IX., which gives the value of silk products in Europe and in the United States, showing that while France was first, the United States was a good second in 1900; but when we con sider that the industry in this country has been developed since ISO and note, as in Tables III. and IV., the rapid growth, we may believe that if it already does not it will soon lead in the manufacture of silks.