In the period in question the Gladbach Chamber of Commerce paid particular attention to the customs questions. The point at issue was a higher tariff on cotton yarn and a corresponding customs drawback on cotton articles. Gladbach depended at that time heavily on the importation of twist from England on the one hand and was on the other hand forced to sell a large percentage of its products abroad. The Gladbach industry produced various articles from the imported twist. The main product varied frequently. Till the 1820's the main products were smooth cotton fabrics such as "Siamoisen", "Gingham", "Mobelzeuge", etc. In the 30's these were replaced by the socalled "Hosenstoffe". Most of the workers were engaged in their production into the 50's. However after new heavy napped fabrics were also introduced, such as "Biber", "Kalmuck", "Lama", etc. in 1840, they gained so much importance by the mid 40's so as to become the leading products of that time. Such fluctuation in the main production line was among other reasons the cause of fierce competition for the customs union (Zollverein) mit Saxony. Silesia, Wurttemberg and Baden. The Chamber of Commerce complained almost every year that the above mentioned states were entering into ever sharper competition with similar products. Each time the Gladbach industry came out with a new article, a new competition would arise within the customs union with Saxony and South Germany producing the same article. For this reason it became all the more important to maintain the markets abroad, especially in Holland. Holland was not only an important market but was also the import route ober which raw cotton, twist, dyestuff and other raw material were transported. Holland's importance for the Gladbach industry is borne out by its insistence upon the construction of a direct railway line to the port of Venlo on the Maas. Coal, steam engines and driving gears, which became necessary because of the rapid mechanization of the Gladbach cotton industry, were obtained especially from the Ruhr Valley, whereas spinning and weaving machines still had to be imported from England, Belgium and Switzerland. The very numerous working population in the industrial area on the right bank of the Rhine constituted one of the most important markets for the Gladbach products, because these, in spite of the fact that the type of article produced varied considerably, were for the most part always massproduction articles. Gladbach was thus concious of the necessity of commercially integrating the industrial area on the right bank of the Rhine. Therefore it was not only active in promoting the establishment of railway communications with this area and the building of a permanent bridge over the Rhine near Diisseldorf. Railway communications were also established with the areas along the middle and upper reaches of the Rhine. The promotion of these railway communications was not only restricted to South Germany but also extended itself as far as to Switzerland. As for spinning, Jenny machines (also called "Handspinnerei") were characteristically used untill the beginning of the 50's to spinn coarse yarn from eastindian cotton for the weaving of heavy napped fabrics. The "Handspinnerei" was gradually supplanted by the selfactor which came more and more into use in the 50's so that the new spinning mills produced increasingly finer yarn. The spinning and weaving branches were always closely linked (at times both operations were conducted by the same "Fabrikant"). The yarn spun was delivered exclusively to the local weaving industry, and the local weaving industry obtained its yarn exclusively from the same spinning industry as far as domestic yarn was concerned. So it now becomes clear that Gladbach was constantly forced to compete with

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