Trade and Cojmncrce. 55 



grown in extent, until the firm now employ upwards of 

 5,000 hands, and control branch establishments of large 

 size in America an.d Germany. The early history of the 

 business is interesting as a type of other Ulster enterprises. 

 Mr. Barbour (great-grandfather of the present representatives 

 of the family) used to come over from Scotland to purchase 

 the yarn then spun in the cottages in and near Lisburn ; 

 it occurred to him that it would be better to manufacture 

 his thread, etc., on the spot, instead of bringing it first to 

 Scotland. His son, the late William Barbour, carried on 

 and enlarged the business ; and as each new improvement 

 was invented, he adopted it at Hilden, until he had a 

 complete thread-making, spinning, dyeing, and bleaching 

 works. The present output amounts to no less than 5,200 

 tons of single and twisted threads and yarns annually, and 

 the wages paid total up to some ^10,000 a month. The 

 firm are now the largest manufacturers of linen thread in 

 the world, and they produce an immense variety of work. 

 The following are merely a few of the purposes to which 

 their threads are applied : tailors' threads, boot and shoe 

 threads, sole sewing and wax machine threads, carpet 

 threads, bookbinders' threads, flourishing threads in all 

 colours for embroidery, crewel-work, etc., netting twines and 

 threads, gilling threads, upholsterers' and mattress twine, 

 seaming and roping twines, Dutch twine, white twine, 

 parcelling and packing twines, etc., etc. 



The Barbours also make a great quantity of netting in all 

 sizes, from sardine to sturgeon nets, and their machinery 

 is of a new type, producing an excellent quality of net, 

 which has taken honours at several fishery and other ex- 

 hibitions. One of the pleasantest features of Hilden is the 

 interest taken in the workers, many of whom live in the 350 

 houses surrounding the mill, and constituting quite a large 

 village. There is a school attended by 800 children, a 

 reading-room, and a dining-room, where hot meals are 

 served at cost price. 



Othkr Industries. 



In bringing this short account to a close, it will, perhaps, 

 be well to mention some of the other manufactures and 



