In 1914, Chefoo was established as the centre for hair net manufacture because of the prominence of filet lace work there—the knot used in weaving filet resembling very closely that used in ing hair nets. Raw hair is brought from the interior of Europe and China for manufacture in Chefoo, but largely from Europe contrary to the popular idea, The hair is first shipped to the United States for proper curing and dyeing so that the best colours and condition may be obtained. Thereafter the hair is again exported to the Far East and distributed among the populace for hand manufacture.
Hair net workers get on an average six coppers for one net and a good worker will average six nets a day. This however fiuctuates greatly. The finished nets are sent to the central plant in Chefoo by these individual workers, where they are inspected in sanitary shops before shipping. By the time the finished product reaches New York it has travelled one and a half times around the world. Since every hair net is made by hand, the suitability of such a country as China for the industry is apparent.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.