FRANCE. 279 



ful cause of demoralization, and unfortunately shows few signs of dis- 

 appearing. 



By far the great number of hands are employed inside the manufac- 

 tories. Those employed outside are chiefly women and., girls. The 

 practice of giving women and girls work at home is becoming more and 

 more popular. The masters like it because it lightens female labor, and 

 the girls and women like it because it enables them to earn money 

 while attending to their domestic duties. Both sexes are employed 011 

 night work ; but apprentices are entirely free from anything of the 

 kind. Much has been done of late years to improve the sanitary con- 

 dition of workshops. But much remains to be done in this way, and 

 the zealous surveillance of the authorities is constantly required. 



CHEAPENING LABOR. 



The cheapening ot labor is a question of the very greatest importance 

 to French carpet manufacturers. Having outstripped their rivals in 

 the race for superiority, they are now attempting to surpass them on 

 the score of cheapness; but their efforts in this direction have not 

 always been attended with success. They have to struggle against 

 German and Italian competition, especially the latter. Dyeing, weav-' 

 ing, and spinning are carried on either in the same or in different ones, 

 according to the importance of the firm or the resources of the country 

 in which it is situated. Local customs have sometimes much to do 

 with this distribution of labor. But in the most important firms, such 

 as that of Messrs. Ttard L'aine, at Rupp, at Beauvais, for example, the 

 three processes are always carried on in the same establishment. 



HOW THE PRODUCT IS MARKETED. 



The manufactured goods are usually placed on the market by the 

 manufacturers themselves. This is especially the case when they have 

 a depot or branch house in Paris. The number of firms employing com- 

 mission agents is constantly decreasing, and this decrease is likely to 

 continue. 



WHERE THE PRODUCT FINDS CONSUMPTION. 



France buys up the greater quantity of the carpets she produces. 

 Since the last few years she has partially undersold England in several 

 parts of the world in the matter of expensive carpets and of those of 

 inferior quality this is especially true in the case of Northern Europe, 

 and some parts of South America. The French export carpets to every 

 European country ; and in Egypt, where carpets in the oriental style 

 are made in large quantities, the produce of their carpet-looms finds a 

 ready market. 



The total value of declared exports of carpets and tapestries (princi- 



