that manufactures had been in a flourishing state since 1856. The statement by the opponents of the protective system, that the cotton factories had reached a point where profit was secured, was in 1879 declared an exaggeration. It was further claimed that a number of men, under the garb of manufacturers, were really smugglers. The real fact was, that from 1852 to 1879, with manta paying only four cents, factories had multiplied, the production had been enlarged, the fabric was much improved, and the price greatly reduced. Consequently, a much larger portion of the people went clad. In the days of protection and prohibition, the manta of Puebla weighed seven pounds; its texture resembled lattice-work; in 1879 it weighed more, and the texture was excellent.[1]
The figures in the note show the approximate state of cotton manufactures in 1879. The well-known mills scattered throughout the republic were from 68 to 72 in number, producing fully 3,500,000 pieces yearly. All the factories also made cotton thread to the amount of 12 to 15 million pounds annually. There were many other mills whose names were not known. There were three factories in Mexico, three in Puebla, two in Durango, and one more elsewhere, making together 400,000 pieces annually of prints and Mexican calicoes.[2]
The manufacture of woollen goods during the Span-
- ↑ Diario Debates, 9th Cong., ï. 852-3.
- ↑ Manta 3,500,000 pieces, value $10,000,000, capital invested $38,000,000; prints 500,000 pieces, value $2,500,000, capital invested $3,000,000; white goods 200,000 pieces, value $1,250,000, capital invested $2,000,000; total pieces 42,000,000, total value $13,750,000, total capital $43,000,000. Thread 8,000,000 lbs., value $2,500,000, capital $8,000,000; wick 1,000,000 lbs., value $250,000, capital $500,000; total value $2,750,000, total capital $8,500,000. rebozos 2,000,000, value $2,000,000, capital $2,500,000. Total value of Mexican manufactures in market $18,500,000. Value of property and capital invested $54,009,003. Diario Debates, 9th Cong., ii. 854-6. Statistical and other information on the cotton business for the years 1842-6, 1854, 1860, 1865, 1870, and 1870 May be found in Mex., Anales Min. Fom., 717-18; Id., Mem. Fom., 1865, 438-40; 1868, annex no. 22; Evans' Sister Rep., 03-5; Garcia Cubas, Rep. Mex., 28-30; Mayer's Mex. Aztec, ii. 112-4; Id., Mex, as it Was, etc., 312-6; Mex., Diario Ofic., June 18, 1871; Busto, Estad. Rep. Mex., 1880, table no. 2 et al.; Mex., Mex. Financier, June 21, 1884, 182-3; Zaremba's Merch., 38-140, pass.; Conkling's Guide, 165–6, 224, 261-3, 269.
