54 THE DECENTRALISATION 



progress has been steady, and in 1894 Vice-Consul 

 Chapman reported that some of the finest 

 machines are to be found at the Orizaba spinning 

 mills, while " cotton prints," he wrote, " are 

 now turned out as good if not superior to the 

 imported article."* In 1910, 32,000 workpeople 

 were already employed in 145 cotton mills, 

 which had 703,000 spindles, and 25,000 power- 

 looms, f 



The flattest contradiction to the export theory 

 has, however, been given by India. She was 

 always considered as the surest customer for 

 British cottons, and so she has been until quite 

 lately. Out of the total of cotton goods exported 

 from Britain she used to buy more than one- 

 quarter, very nearly one-third (from 17,000,000 

 to 22,000,000, out of an aggregate of about 

 75,000,000 in the years 1880-1890). But things 

 have begun to change, and in 1904-1907 the 

 exports were only from 21,680,000 to 25,680,000 

 out of an aggregate of 110,440,000. The 

 Indian cotton manufactures, which for some 

 causes not fully explained were so unsuccess- 

 ful at their beginnings, suddenly took firm root. 



* The Economist, 12th May, 1894, p. 9 : "A few years ago 

 the Orizaba mills used entirely imported raw cotton ; but now 

 they use home-grown and home-spun cotton as much as pos- 

 sible." 



t Annuario Estadistico, 1911. They consumed 34,700 tons 

 of raw cotton, and produced 13,936,300 pieces of cotton goods, 

 and 554,000 cwts. of yarn. 



