The Present Position of the Glass Industry in Czech-Slovakia

JSGT_1922_V06_T274_T279

The Republic of Czecho-Slovakia, created as the result of the war, occupies a very central position in the Continent of Europe. It includes Bohemia and other portions of the old Austrian Empire and contains a population of about 14,000,000 people, of whom the two most important races are the Czechs and the Germans. So far as the glass industry is concerned, we could replace the word "Czecho-Slovakia" by "Bohemia" with advantage, perhaps, to those to whom the newer word is unfamiliar, for the industrial areas where the glass industry is important are just those of Bohemia. Indeed, the references in pre-war times to the extensiveness of the Austrian glass industry rather misled one to suppose that there were plenty of glass factories scattered through the length and breadth of Austria. So far from this being the truth, it was stated by a German writer some two years ago that when the new Republic of Czecho-Slovakia was set up Austria was left with only 19 glassworks, of which several were engaged in mirror-making, so that the bulk of the articles of glassware in common use would have to be supplied from Czecho-Slovakia.

W. E. S. Turner