Other Manufactures in the Clothing Industry.
Of the large number of manufactures in these branches there are a great number
which chiefly fall within the department of handicraft and home-manufacture,
while the manufacturing industry, properly so called, has, on the whole, made
only its first entry into the domain of Swedish industries. This is due to the
smallness of the home-market and the obstacles lying in the way of exports on
a large scale. The development of these special trades, however, has made very
rapid progress. For example, the number of the sewing factories has risen during
the last ten years from 24 to 64, and the value of their products from 4 million
kronor to 1 5 millions. Sweden is still obliged, however, to rely on a considerable
import from the countries that set the taste in these branches. The entire value
o f the imports m 1 9 1 2 amounted to no less than 25*90 million kronor. The
largest items were ribbons (silk, and others) 2*16 million kronor; embroideries
1 94 million kronor; hats 1*96 million; clothes and clothing-articles, 6*84 millions
including household articles of. all kinds, such as table-linen, etc.; further, lace-
work, 0-69 million kronor; lace, 1*05 million; stockings and stocking-loom work,
2 -6 5 millions; thread-gloves, 0*91 million; waterproof stuffs, 3*61 million kronor, etc.
Xhe branches which, in 1912, had th e largest manufacture in th e branches
in question are th e following:
Factories Wpeoorp^le Yiaacltnuer eo, f kMroannonr~
Sewing factories . . . . . . . . . . 68 4920 17622142
otocjnnet lactones and hosieries . . . . 59 3 681 13156 708
Dyeing works and Calendering works . . 116 2 161 5 608 567
Hat fa cto rie s............................................... 24 1 219 4 685 257
Cap fa ctories 2! 761 2 710 594
Tent-Cloth, and tarpauling factories . . 13 264 2 3Q7
Curtain f a c to r ie s g 1 | f 800 000
Ribbon f a c to r ie s ....................... 17 440 1 497 577
Necktie f a c to r ie s ........................................ 7 398 1165018
Corset factories 6 453 1396 000
Cotton-wool factories........................... 13 1 9 9 994381
, iUim8brSella- ainildi pa• ra so.l. ..f..a..c.t..o..r.i.e..s.. ....................•' 4 278 868 631 8 101 814965
Of dye and bleach works for yam and cloths there are a large number but
mostly small ones; still there are some which work on a larger scale; the most
important are the dye-works of Levanten, near Gothenburg. At the large wool
and cotton factories there are also dye and bleach-works established, quite sufficient
for the greatest demands that can be made nowadays in this branch.
Of late years arrangements have been made at several textile works for the
calendering of a large proportion of the woven material brought from abroad the
goods being re-exported afterwards, the Customs then restoring the amount of
duty paid on the raw goods, allowance being made for the loss of weight the
material has suffered during the process. This process of preparation, which
is chiefly applied to cottons and woollens, usually comprises dyeing, printing
and mercerizing. Among the more important factories in this branch may be
mentioned the J. F. Vennerstens fabriksaktiebolag, Boras.
Of sto c k in e t-fa c to r ie s the largest are to be found in Alvsborg Lan and
in the towns of Malmo, Gothenburg and Karlstad.
The most important s ew in g -fa c to r ie s are Wettergren & Go’s mantle-factory
in Gothenburg, and ATctiebolaget Moresco, Malmo.
H a ts manufactured in Sweden are principally of felt. The most important factories
for goods, of this kind are in Stockholm, Falkoping, Karlskrona and Malmo.
MACHINES AND APPARATUS USED IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY.
%
Machines and Apparatus used in the Textile Industry.
Of the large number of machines used in the textile industry, only a
small number are manufactured in Sweden, although, for instance, the
manufacture of ordinary machine-looms for simple cotton cloths could,
for several reasons, be carried on at a profit here. The Huskvarna factory
makes sewing and knitting machines of acknowledged good quality. P.
Persson’s counting apparatus, with the pattern discs belonging to it, has
proved of great importance, in domestic industry especially, as it facilitates
the work in the manufacture of a large number of articles of clothing
by the ordinary knitting machine. For dyeing, bleaching, and washing
cotton, as well as in the department of calico-printing, G. Jagenburg, of
Rydboholm, has made several important inventions, and there are several
clever Swedish inventions for impregnating cloth for the purpose of
rendering it waterproof or less inflammable. E. Schenson s swipgle
apparatus for treating flax, and R. Strehlenert’s arrangement for spinning
artificial silk may also bé mentioned. Electricity also has been utilized,
as in G. Wenstroms device in singeing-machines for cotton cloth, and
G. CasseVs device in outting-machines. Weavers’ reeds are made at ‘the
Mora factory.
Eristoffer Polhem (1661—1751) made, many important inventions in textile.
machinery, especially in the stockinet industry, which sprang into existence
during his time. There still exist, for example, • several of Polhem’s
pedal stocking-looms at the Folhem Museum at Falun, manufactured at the
Stjamsund works established by him in Dalame at the beginning of the
18th century. He also invented a ribbon-loom for the simultaneous weaving
of several ribbons; a wool-washing machine; a cloth-press, e tc.; and he invented
a number of other very ingenious machines, such as mechanical spinning-looms
and carding-looms, which, however, could not be constructed from want of skilled
labour.
The import of machinery in this branch, chiefly from Great Britain and Germany,
amounted in 1912 to about 1*9 million kronor. The value of the machine-
imports for the years 1910 and 1911 is shown in the following table. It must
be noted, however, that the figures here given are not quite comparable with
the total value for 1912 on account of alterations in the official grouping of
wares, distributed as follows:
1910 1911
Kronor Kronor
Looms ........................................................ 581 000 550 000
Spinning m ach in es....................................................... 299 959
Mangles (Callenders, e t c . ) ............................................ 36000 31000
Bobbins . . . . ........................................................ 142 000 146 000
Carders and c a rd -le a th e r............................................. 119 000 116 000
Opening machines, Willows, carding-machines, etc. ■ 919 000 859 000
2 469 000 2 360 000
For exercising control over the textile industry in Sweden, both for individual
and State needs, the. Material-testing Institute of the Technical High School has
a special department furnished with the requisite apparatus for the purpose. In
addition to microscopic examinations of the fibre substances of yarn and cloth,