Yarns. Ten Years’ Exports. In Millions of Lbs.
| 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 254 | 251 | 256 | 252 | 258 | 245 | 233 | 207 | 236 | 252 |
| Jute | 31 | 24 | 27 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 26 | 29 | 35 | 35 |
| Linen | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| Silk | ·6 | ·6 | ·6 | ·8 | ·8 | 1·0 | ·7 | ·8 | ·8 | ·7 |
| Woollen | 46 | 40 | 43 | 45 | 41 | 41 | 45 | 50 | 53 | 61 |
Piece Goods, etc. Ten Years’ Exports. In Millions of Yards.
| 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 4,850 | 4,904 | 5,038 | 5,001 | 5,125 | 4,912 | 4,873 | 4,652 | 5,312 | 5,033 |
| Jute | 216 | 244 | 232 | 265 | 274 | 284 | 266 | 265 | 233 | 255 |
| Linen | 164 | 164 | 177 | 181 | 184 | 159 | 171 | 158 | 156 | 204 |
| Silk | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Woollen[2] | 273 | 281 | 264 | 268 | 253 | 223 | 213 | 194 | 168 | 242 |
[2] Includes “Woollen Tissues,” “Worsted Coatings and Stuffs,” “Damasks, Tapestry, and Mohair Plushes,” “Flannels,” and “Carpets and Druggets.”
The figures for cotton piece goods may be illustrated as follows:—
LINEN, SILK, AND WOOLLENS.
So much for cotton! With regard to linen, it is unnecessary to follow in detail what Mr. Williams says, for he himself admits that the decline which has taken place since the ’sixties is largely due to a change in fashion, jute and cotton goods taking the place of linen. In the last decade, however, as will be seen from the above table, the linen industry has held its own. With regard to silk, the figures show that there is no cause for serious alarm. In woollens, on the other hand, there is apparently better ground for Mr. Williams’s mourning. The table on the preceding page points to a distinct downward tendency in our export of woollen manufactures, a tendency which has been only partly checked by the inflation of 1895. If this were the whole truth about our woollen trade, it might be conceded that here at any rate Mr. Williams had made out his case. But it is not the whole truth. Almost pari passu with this decline in our export of woollens, which began some twenty years back, there has been a steady increase in the consumption of our woollen manufactures by our own people, and this increased home demand has more than made good the decline in the foreign demand.