236 



On Claiissens Flax-Cotton* 



and supply of the raw material required for the manufacture of 

 textile fabrics in this country. There are dependent upon the 

 various branches of the cotton, flax, wool, and silk manufactures, 

 ■upwards of one-tenth of the whole population, while the capital 

 embarked in them is not less than 100,000,000/. The whole of 

 the raw material consumed in these manufactures is in one form 

 or other to be obtained only from agricultural labours. One of 

 the most striking features in connection with this great subject is 

 the extremely small portion of the enormous supply required which 

 is contributed by the agriculturists of our own country. For the 

 supply of cotton our manufacturers are of necessity dependent 

 upon foreign countries ; a nominally small proportion of the flax 

 required in the linen manufactures is produced at home, and for 

 a large proportion of the wool, and for the whole of the raw silk, 

 we are also indebted to the foreign producer. 



This state of dependence for the supply of these staple articles 

 is greatly to be deprecated, not less on account of the manufac- 

 turer, who is thus constantly exposed to the evil of uncertain sup- 

 ply, arising either from the vicissitudes of the seasons, or the 

 nature of the commercial policy which may be adopted by the 

 producing country. The pressure arising from this state of things 

 was never more seriously felt than at the present moment. Our 

 manufacturers are at present almost entirely dependent upon 

 the United States for their cotton, and so long as the requisite 

 supply could be obtained their production went on increasing 

 at a rate which appears almost incredible. In 1800 they con- 

 sumed only 56,000,000 lbs. of cotton, but within the short space 

 of the last half-century the consumption increased to the enor- 

 mous amount of 770^000,000 lbs., or upwards of 1000 tons per 

 day, being an increase of about 1300 per cent. Proceeding at 

 this enormous rate of increase, the manufacturers were suddenly 

 arrested by a deficient supply, prices rose upwards of 50 per cent., 

 mills were stopped, and a large number of the working population 

 xvere in consequence thrown out of employment. A conviction is 

 now fast gaining ground among those who possess the fullest op- 

 portunity of investigating the subject,'"^ that the supply of cotton 

 from the United States has now reached its limit, and that it 

 is not only impossible to produce a larger quantity in the cotton- 

 producing districts, but that the rapid extension of home manu- 

 factures in the States, opening up a large demand for the raw mate- 

 rial there, will prevent us for the future obtaining that enlarged 

 supply which is necessary for our rapidly extending manufac- 

 tures, and for affording the means of employment to our constantly 

 increasing working population. 



* Vide ' Remarks on the Statistics of the Cotton Trade,' by G. R. Porter, Esq., 

 Secretary to the Board of Trade. 



