MEXICO. 



555 



Guanajuato, population about 60,000, the 

 capital of the central State of the same name, 

 used to be a center of distribution for the 

 wholesale trade of the State in dry-goods, 

 hardware, etc., and on tbe goods sold the 6 

 per cent, consumption-tax due the State was 

 levied. Now, all the retail stores near the 

 frontier of the State try to save this 6 per 

 cent., and buy what they want in small quanti- 

 ties in Mexico, and smuggle the goods across 

 the frontier, which is an easy matter, there not 

 being a close control. The railway enables 

 them to get the goods in as many days as it 

 formerly took weeks. 



Mexican manufactures, especially of cotton 

 goods, have of late years made some headway, 

 but they are, on the whole, of a quality more 

 calculated for consumption by tbe bulk of the 

 common people, the Indians in particular, leav- 

 ing room for American and English goods in 

 spite of the high import duty. The Mexicans 

 even produce some prints. Linen goods and 

 woolens they receive from England and the 

 Continent. 



The American trade (merchandise) with 

 Mexico exhibits these figures : 



The domestic export from the United States 

 during the fiscal years 1883 and 1884 was large- 

 ly composed of railroad material, and there 

 was a notable decrease, as our table shows, 

 when the railways built with American capital 

 came to be finished. On the other hand, the 

 forwarding of silver coin ma Paso del Norte 

 to the United States, both for American ac- 

 count and in transit, has become very consid- 

 erable, since both countries are forming one 

 continuous railroad system. To some extent, 

 this increase of silver receipts from Mexico 

 may be due to larger silver production, and to 

 the fact that the United States is the best mar- 

 ket for silver, since under the Bland bill the 

 country accumulates the metal in its treasury. 



Cotton. The raising of cotton in Mexico ap- 

 pears to be discouraged, if not prevented, by 

 the importations of American cotton, which 

 the new railroad facilities have promoted. 

 Upon this subject Consul Mackay says : " The 

 district of the Laguna, in the State of Coa- 

 huila, is the great cotton - producing region 

 of, Mexico, and furnishes to her factories annu- 

 ally from 30,000 to 40,000 bales. Prior to the 

 construction of the great railways from the 

 north, the price of Mexican cotton varied from 

 13 to 15 cents, and in the home market compet- 

 ed successfully with the product of the United 

 States. Cotton was then imported from Tex- 

 as in carts and wagons through Nuevo Laredo 

 and Piedras Negras to the interior. The diffi- 

 culties encountered in the transportation of 



so bulky and heavy a commodity by means so 

 primitive can be easily imagined. Under fa- 

 vor of these circumstances, the cultivation of 

 cotton became one of the most profitable 

 branches of agriculture, and extended largely 

 and rapidly, so that in a few years Mexico 

 must have produced a sufficient quantity to 

 wholly supply her own factories. The com- 

 pletion of the railways leading to the United 

 States prejudiced the market and greatly di- 

 minished the production of cotton in Mexico, 

 as cotton could now be imported without the 

 expense and delay that were hitherto unavoid- 

 able. The Mexicans complain that the advent 

 of railways has not only injured the producers 

 of cotton at home by facilitating the importa- 

 tion of American cotton in the degree necessa- 

 rily the consequence of cheaper and quicker 

 means of transportation, but that, by special 

 and personal rates of freight, the railways have 

 discriminated against Mexican producers." 



Cotton-Indnstry. The manufacture of cotton 

 goods in Mexico affords employment for up- 

 ward of 50,000 families. It is estimated that 

 more than three fifths of the inhabitants of 

 Mexico wear no foreign goods, but dress prin- 

 cipally in manta (or brown shirtings) of na- 

 tive make. The annual consumption of the 

 Mexican mills is nearly 80,000,000 pounds of 

 raw cotton, of which about one third is ob- 

 tained from the United States. The number 

 of spindles is estimated at 500,000, in 82 mills 

 scattered throughout Mexico. The total an- 

 nual output of brown shirtings from the Mexi- 

 can cotton -mills is estimated at 3,800,000 

 pieces of brown shirtings of thirty yards each, 

 besides 2,753 tons of yarn, which is used by 

 the manufacturers of rebozos (light shawls 

 worn over the head by women), counterpanes, 

 towels, stockings, etc. In addition about 300,- 

 000 pieces of print are produced annually. 



Silk. Consul-General Porch reported in No- 

 vember to the following effect: "The places 

 where silk-worms are raised are Oajaca, State 

 of Oajaca; Tetla, State of Puebla; Ixmiquil- 

 pan, State of Hidalgo. The business has also 

 been introduced into the States of Jalisco, Tlas- 

 cala, Michoacan, Queretaro, Vera Cruz, and 

 Chihuahua. It is believed that in the course 

 of the next five years more silk will be manu- 

 factured in Mexico than can be consumed by 

 her people, although at present the industry is 

 in its infancy. There are now three or four 

 well-equipped factories in the republic, and 

 the raw material produced is still insufficient 

 to supply the demands. Chinese silk, in skeins, 

 is received in large quantities from London. 

 One very encouraging feature here is the 

 cheapness and efficiency of labor, women re- 

 ceiving thirty-seven and a half cents a day, 

 men one dollar, this being the average ; wom- 

 en are preferred for the work, because in this 

 extremely interesting business great delicacy, 

 nimbleness, and neatness are essential. It is 

 claimed that silk can be manufactured here for 

 one half what it costs in Paris." 



