Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/136

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AUSTRIA
[manufactures.

earth, potter s clay, and precious stones. The crown-lands in which mining operations are chiefly carried on are Styria (iron and coal), Carinthia (lead and iron), Carniola (quicksilver), Hungary (gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal), Transylvania (gold and silver), Salzburg (iron), Bohemia (silver, lead, iron, and coal), Moravia (iron and coal), Galicia (salt). The chief places where gold and silver ores are found are—(1.) at Zalathna in Transylvania, on the southern range of the Behar Mountains, where affluents of the Körös and Maros take their rise, in which, as well as in the Theiss and the Danube, gold is also found; (2.) The district of Schemnitz and Kremnitz in Hungary; (3.) Pribram and Joachimsthal in Boliemia. Nearly 3,000,000 cwt. of gold and silver ores is obtained annually, from which 64,298 oz. of gold and 1,476,000 oz. of silver are extracted. Of the gold, 54 per cent, is obtained in Transylvania, and 44 in Hungary; and of the silver ore, 65 per cent, is raised in Hungary, 27 in Bohemia, and 5½ in Transylvania. Iron is found more or less in all the crown-lands except Upper Austria, the Maritime District, and Dalmatia; but it is most plentiful and best in quality in Styria and Carinthia. The amount of raw and cast iron annually obtained from the ore raised in the country is 7,600,000 cwt., of which 28 per cent, is from Styria, 15 from Carinthia, 12½ from Bohemia, 11½ from Moravia, 16 from Upper Hungary, 6½ from other parts of the kingdom of Hungary, and the remainder from the other crown-lands. The principal place where copper is obtained is the neighbourhood of Schmblnitz in Hungary. The quantity for the whole country amounts to 1,500,000 cwt. of ore, from which 65,000 cwt. of pure metal is obtained. Of this, 80 per cent, is from Upper Hungary, 6 from Tyrol, and 4 from Buckowina. Carinthia is particularly rich in lead, and from it more than one-half (52 per cent.) of the entire quantity raised in the country is obtained. Bohemia yields 26 per cent., and Hungary 15. Altogether, 195,000 cwt. of ore, and 114,000 cwt. of pure metal is obtained. Idria in Carniola has, after Almaden in Spain, the richest quicksilver mine in Europe, producing 3900 cwt. of pure metal. Of the rest, Hungary produces 1120 cwt., and Transylvania 450. Tin is found only in Bohemia, which supplies 55,000 cwt. of ore, from which 450 cwt. of tin is obtained. Zinc is found chiefly in the neighbourhood of Cracow, where 146,475 cwt. of ore is raised. Austria is particularly rich in salt. In Galicia there exists a stratum of rock-salt many miles in extent, which is worked at "Vieliczka and other places. Similar layers occur in Hungary (Marmaros) and Transylvania (at Thorda). There also exist salt springs in Galicia, in Marmaros, and in Transylvania, from which salt is largely extracted, as it is also to a considerable extent from sea water on the coast. About 3,900,000 cwt. of rock-salt is annually obtained from the mines (of which 22 per cent, is from Galicia, 24 from Marmaros, 34 from Transylvania), from the various salt springs about 2,800,000 cwt., and from the salt-works on the coast 1,400,000 cwt. Austria is possessed of almost inexhaustible stores of coal, and the amount annually raised exceeds 6,000,000 tons, of which 48 per cent, is in Bohemia, 12 in Hungary, 11 in Silesia, 10 in Styria, 6½ in Moravia, 2½ in Galicia, and 1½ in Carniola. Peat and clay are abundant in certain parts of the country; porcelain earth is found in Bohemia and Moravia; white, red, black, and variously-coloured marbles exist in the Alps, particularly in Tyrol and Salzburg; quartz, felspar, heavy spar, rock-crystal, asbestos, &c., are found in various parts; and among precious stones may be specially mentioned the Hungarian opals and the Bohemian garnets. The number of persons employed in the various mines in Austria Proper in 1870 was 75,451, and in the smelting and casting works, 13,857. In addition to these, 9818 persons were employed in the salt-mines and other salt works. In Hungary 50,143 persons were employed in mining and smelting. The total annual value of the raw materials obtained from the mines is estimated at over £9,000,000, of which nearly one-half is of coal, a fifth of iron, an eighth of gold and silver, and a tenth of rock-salt.

Manufactures.

The manufactures of Austria have made great progress during the last twenty years, and now some of them are extensively carried on. They include cotton, flax, hemp, woollen and silk stuffs; gold, silver, iron, lead, copper, tin, and zinc articles; leather, paper, beer, brandy, and sugar; porcelain and earthenware; chemical stuffs; scientific and musical instruments, &c. The manufactures are principally carried on in the western crown-lands, and more particularly in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Lower Austria. In Galicia and the Hungarian crown-lands the manufactures are comparatively neglected. The principal seats of the cotton, woollen, and linen manufactures are in Moravia, Silesia, Bohemia, and Vienna; of iron and steel wares in Styria and Carinthia; iron in Upper Austria; cast-iron goods in Moravia, Styria, Carinthia, and Bohemia; silk in Vienna; glass and porcelain in Bohemia; beet root sugar in Bohemia and Moravia; leather in Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia, and Hungary; beer in Bohemia and Lower Austria; brandy in Galicia, Moravia, and Bohemia; cabinet wares and musical instruments in Vienna and Prague; and scientific and surgical in struments in Vienna.

The cotton manufacture has made very rapid progress, and is now one of the most extensive and flourishing in the country. In 1831 the import of cotton was 101,000 cwt, and the export 175; in 1850 the former had risen to 522,000, and the latter to 1270; and in 1870 the former was 1,100,000, and the latter 36,000 cwt. There are 172 spinning factories, with 1,750,000 spindles, in the country, almost all situated in Lower Austria, Bohemia, and Vorarlberg. There are 46 factories, with 550,000 spindles, in Lower Austria, between the Vienna Forest and the Leitha, and beside them are 7 dyeing and printing works. A principal seat of the cotton manufacture is in Northern Bohemia, from the Eger to Reichenberg, where there are no fewer than 80 spinning factories and 25 printing works. Besides these, there are 7 factories at Prague and 1 in Southern Bohemia. In Vorarlberg there are 21 factories, with 200,000 spindles; and in Upper Austria 7 factories and 6 printing works.

The flax and hemp manufacture is one of the oldest in the country, and was long the most important. In consequence, however, of the rapid advancement of the cotton manufacture it is no longer of the same importance as formerly; yet it still affords employment to a great number of persons, and is very generally extended over the country. It is principally carried on as a domestic branch of industry, and in country districts is frequently engaged in as a secondary pursuit by those employed in agricultural labours. The flax is mostly spun by hand, and the weaving confined to the commoner kinds of linen, being chiefly intended for home use. In Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Upper Austria, however, this manufacture is more extensively carried on than in other parts. There are here a number of factories for the spinning of flax, and the finer kinds of linen are manufactured.

The woollen manufacture is also an old established branch of industry, and is actively carried on. It is estimated that about 600,000 cwt. of wool is annually spun; and there are about 230 spinning factories, with upwards of 700,000 spindles. The great seats of the woollen manufacture are in Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, and Upper Austria. In Bohemia its great seat is in and around Reichenberg, where the annual value of the goods produced is about £1,800,000. In Moravia the principal seats are Brünn (for coarse, and also the finest sorts of cloth), Namiescht, and Iglau. In these two crown-lands is made half of the entire quantity of woollen goods produced in the country. The principal of the other seats are the districts Bielitz in Silesia, Vienna in Lower Austria, and Viktring in Carinthia (for fine goods). Vienna is also distinguished for its manufacture of shawls. The coarser kinds of woollen goods are generally manufactured over the country, and principally in the people s houses, and for home use.

The manufacture of silk stuffs is principally carried on in Vienna, and to a small extent in the north of Bohemia and in the Maritime District. The spinning of silk has its principal seat in Southern Tyrol, where about 550,000 lb are spun annually, besides which about 1,700,000 lb are annually brought from other countries. The iron and steel manufactures form one of the most important branches of industry, and afford employment to a great number of persons. They are more or less extensively carried on in all the crown-lands, except the Maritime District, Dalmatia, Croatia, and Slavonia; but their principal seats are in Lower and Upper Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Styria, and Carinthia. One of the most important of these seats is Steier and its neighbourhood, in Upper Austria, where there are about 700 establishments, producing goods—chiefly cutlery, scythes, sickles, firearms, &c.—to the value of £400,000 annually. In Styria there are large ironworks at Maria-Zell and Neuberg; and in Carinthia, at Prevali, Buchscheiden, and Ferlach. There are also large ironworks in Lower Austria, Carniola, Tyrol, Bohemia, and Moravia. The making of steam engines and other kinds of machinery is largely carried on in and about Vienna, where there are 26 establishments for this purpose. There are similar establishments in other parts of Lower Austria, in Styria, Bohemia, Silesia, and Buckowina. The Lloyds' Company has also large workshops at Trieste. About 1,100,000 cwt. of iron are annually used in the making of machinery, and about 6,600,000 cwts. in the other iron and steel manufactures, among which may be mentioned cutlery, firearms, files, wire, nails, tin-plate, steel pens, needles, &c.

The principal copper-works are at Brixlegg and other places in Tyrol, and in Galicia, Buckowina, and Hungary. The quantity of metal employed is about 40,000 cwt., and the value of the articles annually produced is £250,000. In the lead-works the quantity of metal employed is 65,000 cwt., and the annual value of the goods pro duced, £100,000. Tin is manufactured (principally in Bohemia) to the annual value of £50,000, and zinc to that of £2500. The precious metals, gold and silver, are principally worked in the larger towns, particularly Vienna and Prague, and the value of the articles annually produced is about £1,700,000. In addition to this a considerable amount of gold and silver is annually taken up by the mints. The mixed metals are also made and manufactured to a considerable extent, as brass, bell metal, gun metal, pinchbeck. &c.

The glass manufacture has its greatest development in Bohemia, where there are not only the greatest number of works (35 in Northern and 85 in Southern Bohemia), but the wares are also of