shop equipment is all obtainable in this country, and if of quality equal or superior to that of foreign manufacture." Methods of production.-Wool machinery is in general highly complicated, and a machine of a given design is not produced in very farge numbers, so that the advantages possible to the American manufacturer through "quantity production" are not so great as in many other industries. The English machinery is usually built heavier than the American, and is more finely finished, and is designed for rather lower speeds. The variety of materials used in the worsted, and more particularly in the woolen trade, is so great that standardization can not be carried so far as in the case of cotton machinery. Organization. Practically all of the wool machinery made in this country is the product of not over 10 firms, not of great size, and none of these makes a full line. Most of the important types of wool machines are made by only two or three firms in this country. A large portion of the domestic output is from one firm of moderate size, located in Massachusetts. Geographical distribution.-By far the greater part of the output is from the State of Massachusetts. There is also some production in Pennsylvania. History of the industry.-The design of wool machinery is the result of long experience. The development of the industry has been slow and gradual and not marked by the rapid growth of new establishments. Wool machinery was first developed in England, and American machinery has largely followed English designs. It is not an easy matter for a new concern to take up the manufacture of this class of machines on account of the complexity of design and the experience required to produce machines which will perform satisfactorily. The development of worsted machinery in this country has not yet progressed as far as has that of cotton machinery. Domestic production and consumption.-Definite figures are not available. There has been a large import of wool machinery, however, and exports have been small. A very considerable portion of the wool machinery in the United States is of foreign manufacture. Domestic exports.-Exports of wool machinery are not shown separately. There is relatively little export, however, and that chiefly in preparatory and finishing machinery and in woolen mules. The greater part of our exports go to Japan and South America, and meet severe competition from England. FOREIGN PRODUCTION. Great Britain is the largest producer. The firm of Platt Bros. in Oldham, England, is probably the largest maker of textile machinery in the world, and there are a half dozen other large English firms which make wool machinery. English textile machinery is of very high grade, and in some types of worsted machinery is no doubt superior to the American. Germany and France are also large producers. Owing to differences in classification, neither the production nor the exports of foreign countries can be compared. Considering textile machinery as a whole, in 1914 the exports of Great Britain amounted to $28,000,000 and in 1913 to over $34,000,000, as compared to slightly over $30,000,000 for the total production of the United States. The position of Great Britain is not strong, however, in regard to woolen machinery, including looms. Before the war the markets of Europe were dominated by Germany rather than England, and in some lines of machines considerable numbers of German and Belgian machines were imported into Great Britain. German exports in 1913 were slightly over $10,000,000. Between 1910 and 1913 German exports of wool machinery ranged from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000 and went principally to France and Russia. One of the most important of the German plants was located in Alsace, at that time German territory, but now French. This plant produces a large amount of French system worsted machinery. IMPORTS. Imports of wool machinery are not shown separately. All French system machinery is imported from France and England, none being made in America. Drawing, spinning, and combing machinery for the English system is very largely imported and is in general superior to domestic product. Woolen machinery is not imported to any considerable extent; the domestic product is equal in quality to the foreign and is generally preferred by American mills. Importation of looms is confined chiefly to certain types of carpet looms. TARIFF HISTORY. Wool machinery has not been specially mentioned in any of the tariff acts, but has been included as manufactures of metal not specially provided for. Under the act of 1890 it was dutiable at 45 per cent, in 1894 at 35 per cent, and under the acts of 1897 and 1909 at 45 per cent. The act of 1913 reduced the duty to 20 per cent. Imports are not shown before 1915. COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS. British manufacturers have the advantage of a longer period of development of the industry and of the largest production of wool machinery in the world. Taking up the principal machines separately, the manufacture of opening and carding machinery has been developed to a point at which the American product is no doubt equal to the foreign. Gill-box preparers are not made in this country. In American practice the card replaces to a great extent the gill-box preparer, which is in common use in England, where the long wools are more generally used. Foreign worsted combing, drawing, and spinning equipment is generally preferred by American mills, owing to the superior design and construction. The Bradford or Noble comb is made in this country by only one small firm, whose capacity would be insufficient to supply any large orders for American mills. This machine is highly complicated, and the expense required for designing and developing would be large. French preparing and combing ma 3 Report of the Engineering Trades, New In lustries, Com nittag of the British Ministry of Reconstruction. chinery is made only by Platt Bros., of England, and the Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mecanique, of Mulhouse. The manufacture of this class of machines in the United States would appear to be questionable, as a long period of development would probably be required, and the demand for French system equipment is small in comparison to that for Bradford system machines. Worsted spinning frames are made by one large American firm, but the preference among large mills appears to be for foreign machines, even at higher prices. Mules for woolen spinning, both of the heavy English and the light American type, are successfully made in the United States and are equal in quality to the foreign machine. Looms are largely of domestic make. The industry is in a strong position, and meets little competition. Carpet looms, especially the Brussesls and Wilton types, form the principal point of contact of the foreign and domestic makers. Furthermore, the British loom is of a somewhat different type from the domestic, and is not particularly favored in this country. Domestic finishing machinery is in general equal to the foreign in quality and is preferred by American textile mills. One of the chief makers of finishing machinery in the United States has British connections and manufactures the English type of equipment. Some competition is met from both England and Germany; the German product is usually lighter and not so well made. Data submitted by manufacturers indicate that the ratio of labor cost to total cost of production in the textile-machinery industries generally varies with the different types of machine, but ranges between 40 and 60 per cent. British and American prices for foundry iron and steel at the textile-machinery manufacturing centers are at prevailing rates of exchange (1920) practically identical. A factor affecting the use of foreign machinery in the United States has been the number of English foremen and superintendents in American worsted mills and their preference for English machines. American production is not at present able to supply the demand for all types of machines required by worsted mills, and in some of the types which are made here the quality is not equal to that of the foreign equipment. .do. 177 Articles or wares not specially provided for in this section, com- Manufactures, articles or wares, not specially enumerated or 45 Do. Manufactured articles or wares, not specially provided for in this 35 per cent ad valorem. Articles or wares not specially provided for in this act, composed 45 per cent ad valorem. Do. Articles or wares not specially provided for in this section, if 20 per cent ad valorem. SILK MACHINERY. SUMMARY. Silk-throwing (spinning) machinery is made in the United States by several relatively small firms specializing in this class of equipment. Spun-silk machinery, for the manufacture of silk from waste (constituting about 55 per cent of the total production of silk) is produced by one of the largest of the textile-machinery builders and by several smaller firms. The output is not known. The production is principally in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The manufacture of throwing machinery, which is relatively simple. has been established in this country for many years, and the equipment of American throwing mills is largely domestic. The spun-silk industry, on the other hand, was first developed in Europe, and until the beginning of the war domestic spun-silk machinery had not made great headway. The war increased the demand for spun silk and at the same time restricted the supply of machinery, giving the American manufacturer an opportunity to introduce his product, which has been well received by domestic mills. In the opinion of some of the large mills the domestic machinery has not yet reached a point at which it is, in all lines, equal to the foreign in quality, but the development of textile machinery has been slow, and it seems probable that the domestic product will continue to improve, as was the case in the development of the cotton-machinery industry. There are some types of machine which are not made in this country-the comber, which is but little used, and some types of velvet looms. England, France, and Germany are the principal foreign producers; some of the finest machinery is made in Alsace. Labor forms from 40 to 60 per cent of the total cost of production in America. Imports are not separately shown, but are known to have been relatively large before the war and to have considerably decreased since domestic makers have had an opportunity to develop their business. Exports are probably small. GENERAL INFORMATION. ACT OF 1913. PAR. 167. Articles or wares not specially provided for in this section * * * if composed wholly or in chief value of iron, steel, lead, copper, brass, nickel, pewter, aluminum, or other metal, but not plated with gold or silver, and whether partly or wholly manu factured, 20 per centum ad valorem. DESCRIPTION. Silk yarn is of two kinds, raw silk and spun silk. Raw silk is reeled off from the cocoons in a continuous thread; spun silk is spun from silk waste. Only about half of the silk in a cocoon is reelablethe outer layer is coarse and broken, and the inner layer is too fine to reel. In addition to these inner and outer layers, other sources of waste are cocoons which are entirely unreelable and waste made in reeling, and in the mills. It is estimated that about 55 or 60 per cent of the silk fiber produced is in the form of waste. The machinery and equipment used in the manufacture of the two classes of yarn are quite different, and are separately described below. The processes subsequent to the completion of the yarn, however, are the same. RAW-SILK MACHINERY. Filature. For unwinding the silk from the cocoons they are placed in warm water, and after the natural gum is softened the end of the filament is carried over the reel and unwound in a continuous thread. Since the single filaments are too thin to stand the strain of the subsequent processes, a number of filaments, usually six, are combined into one as they are wound on the reel, the softened natural gum causes them to stick together. Much of the silk is reeled at home by hand; the best, however, is reeled by power in steam filatures, where the work is done under careful supervision. Reeling is carried on in the place where the silk is produced, and hence there are few, if any, filatures in the United States. The silk as it comes from the filature consists of a number of parallel fibers held together by the natural gum. If this were placed in the dye vat the gum would be dissolved and the fibers become tangled so that it could not be worked. Therefore, for silk to be dyed in the skein, the fibers must be twisted so that they will hold together. This process is known as throwing. If the silk is to be dyed in the piece, after weaving, the throwing process is not necessary. Goods made from unthrown silk have a greater softness and brilliancy than those from thrown silk. Probably about one-fourth of the silk goods manufactured in the United States is from unthrown silk. Silk yarn is of three kinds, known as organzine, tram, and singles. Organzine is used chiefly for warp, or threads running lengthwise of the cloth. Tram is used mainly for weft. Singles, if twisted, are used for chiffon and similar fabrics; if untwisted, for weaving in the gum, the goods to be dyed in the piece. When the raw silk is received in the mill it is in the form of skeins with the gum attached. It is first soaked in a mixture of oil and soap to remove the gum, except for singles, after which it goes to the first machine process. Winder. This machine is a simple winding device which reels the silk from the skeins upon small bobbins. Cleaner. Silk which is very dirty is wound from the first bobbin to another, passing between two parallel plates, which allow the silk to pass, but arrest any particles of dirt. First-time spinner.-Fiber for organzine and twisted singles goes now to the first-time spinner. As raw silk is a continuous long fiber, spinning is not the process used for other textiles, but consists only of twisting together the fibers reeled off in the filature from several cocoons. The fibers are wound on a bobbin from another at right angles to it. The bobbin from which the silk comes carries a small flier through which the thread passes and it revolves at a speed greater than that of the bobbin upon which it is wound, the difference in speeds determining the amount of twist which is inserted in the yarn. For tram this process is omitted. 63189-21-c-29———7 |