EUROPE: SWITZERLAND. 



269 



cially to France. The export of paper was nearly the same as last 

 year. The exports of paper for writing and printing purposes are 

 steadily decreasing, especially since 1895. The Argentine Republic, 

 which, until that year, was a good customer of Switzerland, now 

 seems to provide the supply through its own factories. A decrease 

 in price is shown in packing paper and pasteboard, while the printed- 

 book export has gained $69,094 in 1897. 



In the official factory census of 1895, the returns of the number 

 of people employed in the manufacture of paper and wood pulp in 

 Switzerland showed : Males, 2,142; females, 1,113. In wall-paper fac- 

 tories the number was: Males, 82; females, 3 being a total of 3,340. 



This district was enumerated at 587, as follows: 



The city of Berne has a bureau of inspection for paper. The 

 names of firms, companies, brokers, etc., belonging to the paper 

 trade can be found in the commercial directory of Switzerland. 

 There are about 450 newspapers published in this country. Articles 

 made of pulp, such as indurated fiber ware, pulp moldings, etc., are 

 an unknown quantity in this district, and, I may safely say, in Swit- 

 zerland. Gun cotton, fine papers, tissue, celluloid are some of the 

 articles manufactured from pulp. 



The consumption of paper would increase if the people could be 

 educated to demand clean wrapping paper, instead of being satisfied 

 with the continental method of using old newspapers to do up pur- 

 chases in the stores. Switzerland must necessarily be a purchaser 

 of paper, by reason of her small output, fora long time to come. 

 At present, Austria has most of the trade, with Germany a close 

 second. 



PRODUCTION. 



In this district, there is very little undeveloped water power, every 

 little rivulet being harnessed to perform some kind of work. The fuel 

 used in the large mills consists of German and Belgian coal, wood 

 being too expensive. A few gas engines are in use. The retail 

 price of the Belgian coal delivered in my district is to-day $9.07 

 per ton in carload lots, while coke costs $7.72 per ton. Railroad 

 facilities are good, but slow. 



The only raw materials for wood pulp are pine trees, rags, and 



