"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎١‎٤‎٦] (٧٣٨/٢٩٧)

286
INDUSTRY AND TRADE
The weaving of black goats’-hair cloth for tents is a speciality
of ‘Aintab.
The textile industry is diminishing under stress of European
competition. The demand of the Egyptian market is much
less. The home market is seriously affected by a growing
preference for European dress. The patterns produced by the
hand-looms of Syria are imitated and more cheaply produced
by the power-looms of Switzerland and northern Italy. Ex
periments with power-looms in Damascus and elsewhere have
as yet been unsuccessful because of the want of repairing facili
ties and because of deficient skill in the personnel. The best
hand-looms are those of the Jacquard type and even these
are not numerous. Apart from the introduction of power-
looms, the textile industries could be strengthened by more
use of the native raw materials. The manufacture in Syria
of woollen and cotton yarns would be profitable in itself and
would benefit the weaving industries. Since weaving is
largely a home industry the situation resembles that of the
period of the industrial revolution in England, from which,
therefore, some guidance may be got. In the case of silk
weaving, at least, it would seem to be the best policy to
preserve the good quality and the higher prices and the special
character of the local fabrics. The hand-loom weaver cannot
compete in cheapness with the power-loom factory.
Ruppin estimates the value of the annual output of the
textile industries at between 30,000,000 and 40,000,000 francs
(£1,200,000-£1,800,000) and the number of workers at from
30,000-40,000. He gives the number of looms in Aleppo
before the war as having been 4,200. Weakley’s figure for
1909, 10,000, is presumably an over-estimate and may
possibly have included many that were standing idle. Accord
ing to Ruppin’s information Homs was the chief centre of
the industry in 1914.
The knitting of stockings by means of modern knitting
machines'is a large and growing home industry. According
to Weakley it flourishes principally in Aleppo and to a lesser
extent in Damascus. In the former town 5,000-6,000 workers