TEXTILE INDUSTRIES: COTTON. 1897 1898. It is evident from these figures that while the production in the United Kingdom is increasing, and is still much larger than in any other part of the world, its proportion to the whole output is very much smaller, and British makers consequently find increasing difficulty in obtaining adequate supplies. Further, and this concerns the cotton producers of the whole world, the supply of raw material is not developing so rapidly as the demand. It is estimated that 500,000 additional bales are required in the aggregate annually, while on a broad average production is increasing very slowly. Of course this difficulty is accentuated by the speculation in cotton which 1804 1905. is so constantly taking place, but it is not caused by it. No effective remedy can be looked for, apart from a considerable increase in production, and it is therefore important to examine what the prospects are of that increase taking place. United States Cotton Supplies Naturally attention must first be directed to the probability of a larger output from the United States, which is now and will probably remain the chief and most important source of supply, because the quality there is superior to that of any other part of the world. It cannot be said that the outlook in this connection is very hopeful. While a larger area is being planted in the United States, every year, the yield per acre has on the whole decreased. The causes of this seem to be in the main two: (1) There has been great industrial expansion, chiefly in the Southern States, during the past ten years, and this has rendered the supply of coloured labour smaller and more precarious; (2) it seems probable that the soil itself in the older plantations has become less productive, owing to exhaustion. Though it is true that some American authorities contend that there are vast fields in the Southern States, and especially in Texas, suitable for the production of cotton, which have not yet been brought under cultivation, and that America may still be relied upon to furnish the world's needs, this is a possibility rather than a probability. British Cotton-Growing Association. 1899 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 7,407 1,625 182 8,955 10,318 1908 12,844 1,825 388 1909. British trade is very much larger than that of the other two countries put together, but it will be seen that it has shown a fluctuating tendency for some time past, while that of both Germany and France has been improving on the whole. This, however, reflects no discredit upon British producers. Owing to a practically had a monopoly for many years; number of favourable circumstances they and that that monopoly has now disappeared, though a preponderating share still remains, merely indicates that their rivals have surmounted the difficulties which earlier they had obtained. In a great many countries using wool freely for manufacturing purposes, the home supply is an important element, and even in Great Britain nearly a seventh of the quantity used is obtained from the British farmer. Under present conditions of cheap transit, however, the breeding of sheep is most economically and efficiently carried on where good grazing land is to be had very cheaply, and hence the world's sources of supply are, apart from domestic production, mainly from new and only partially developed countries. The relative importance of the different sources of supplies may be seen from the following table. Imports into Europe of Extra- facturers are dependent upon the domestic supply. The foregoing table shows the immense predominance of Australasia as a wool producer. In good years it is responsible for about twothirds of the whole imports into Europe, and even in poor years the proportion exceeds one-half. This point needs to be insisted upon, for it is the key to the whole question of supply-an important one at the present moment, because, as in the case of cotton, there is liable to be a dearth of wool, the significance of which is that the industries dependent upon it are materially affected. A further examination of the table reveals the cause of that dearth. It was the prolonged drought in Australia which decimated the flocks of sheep and caused wool supplies to shrink very considerably. There is, however, this important difference between the scarcity of wool and that of cotton-that the animal product is scarce temporarily only. Australian supplies have now regained, and even exceeded, the level of ten years ago, and showed considerable further expansion in 1909. Irrigation on a large scale will probably minimise the danger of drought, and an average equality between imports and requirements may safely be calculated upon. Even in the improbable event of supplies from Australia being permanently diminished, a stimulus would be given to production elsewhere, so that in time the balance would be redressed, however inconvenient might be the consequences meanwhile. The problem thus presented by wool is therefore of a comparatively insignificant character, compared with that of cotton. It may be noted, however, that it is of special importance to the United Kingdom, inasmuch as it consumes, about two-thirds of the total European imports of Australasian wool. River Plate wool is mainly used on the Continent, and supplies from thence show on the whole an increasing tendency. Importation of Colonial Wool. The effect on prices of the shortage in Australasian wool is shown in the following table, which sets out the importation of Colonial wool into Europe and America over a period of nearly fifty years, with the approximate average value per bale. TEXTILE INDUSTRIES: WOOL. siderably in 1908, and are likely to continue to be moderately firm at the present level for some time to come. Increase in consumption is taking place yearly, and will probably for some time proceed at at least as fast a pace as increase in the supplies. In all industries connected with wool, higher prices tend considerably to check the demand for manufactured goods. While woollen fabrics are necessarily used in most temperate climates, the consumer can economise by wearing garments longer and by buying them of cheaper material. This is important to bear in mind in connection with tables given later, relative to exports of woollen goods. Consumption of Wool in the United Kingdom. As showing how production in the United Kingdom has been affected by the scarcity, the following table is of interest: The United Kingdom still remains the largest exporter of the three, but it is noticeable that its relative importance has seriously diminished during the period covered by the table; while both Germany and France, especially the former, have improved their position, and it is not improbable that in a few years the United Kingdom will lose the leading place. This can certainly not be regarded as satisfactory. The explanation is that yarn being a comparatively simple form of manufacture, any superiority British manufactures originally possessed in its production has now practically ceased. Mil. lb. Mil. lb. Mil. lb. Mil. lb. 8,957 424 1907 1908 20,649 12,785 8,161 473 It will be seen that the quantity left for home consumption was very much lower in 1902, 1903 and 1904 than in the previous years, but that decided improvement took place in 1905, 1906, and 1907, followed by a decline in 1908, which will probably prove to be only temporary. Exports of Woollen and Worsted Yarn. This being the broad position as regards supply and demand for the raw material, it is now of interest to see how differerent countries are faring in the matter of exports. The follow ing table gives the exports of woollen and worsted yarn from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France respectively. 1909 Here again the British have a superiority, but here also of later years the Germans are running them more and more closely in the race-though a considerable portion of their gain so far has been at the expense of France. United States exports have improved largely in percentages, but are still on a small scale, as the high duties on wool and all classes of machinery hamper the export trade very considerably. It will be noticed that in nearly all the countries considerable fluctuations occur from year to year, and this leads to an important point which deserves emphasis-that this trade largely depends upon fashion as well as on the cost of the raw material and on general trade conditions. With all allowances, however, it would appear as if British manufacturers were not adequately holding their own against foreign competitors. The Germans have shown great ability for a great many years past to produce cheap goods with a good appearance, and it is this fact, no doubt, which has largely enabled them to develop their export trade. The speciality of France in this branch of manufacture is the production of very highclass goods, the demand for which is, on the whole, of decreasing quantity. British superiority is in medium qualities, and this is fairly well maintained, though there is no reason why more should not be done in other directions. It will be noticed that British export figures suffered considerable diminution for some years after '96, and the subsequent diminution is largely due to the adoption of the Dingley Tariff in the United States in '97, which imposes such heavy duties on woollen and worsted goods as largely to destroy a profitable export trade which British exporters had previously carried on there. This loss has, however, now been made up by growth in other directions. ment. JUTE. LINEN. The United Kingdom does a satisfactory export trade in linen goods, the industry in the north of Ireland being particularly important, and the business tends on the whole to increase. The chief rival is France, whose trade is now much larger proportionately than it was a few years ago, though it is still insignificant as compared with British trade, and it has also to be borne in mind that the French figures include hemp exports. Exports of Linen Yarn and Manufaolures. 1897 1900 The supplies of jute are mainly derived from India, and the crop of course varies from year to year. The acreage under jute in British India in 1909-10 was stated as 2,937,800 acres, as compared with 2,732,000 acres in 1908-9. Nearly the whole jute area lies in Bengal. The estimated yield of jute in 1908-9 was, as will be seen from the table below, much under the average, 1898 but there has since been decided improve- 1899 The total consumption of the whole world is estimated at 9,000,000 bales, of which over 4,000,000 are used in India itself. This is an increase of about 30 per cent. as compared with 1904. In 1906-7 the Indian spindles used for jute were 491,496 in number, as compared with 331,382 five years previously, while during the same period the number of looms increased from 16,119 to 24,088. The jute industry is now 1909 a very important economic factor in British India. The following are particulars for the past seven years of the Indian Jute Crop. 1901. 5,020 1,096 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1902 1910 THE RUBBER INDUSTRY. Though the rubber industry is not a new one, the advent of motors has so changed the trade as to make it practically a modern enterprise. Up to 1875, or thereabouts, about 5000 tons of caoutchouc sufficed for the world's requirements, and this moderate quantity was manipulated and turned into the manufactured article by a hundred and fifty rubber factories in Europe and America. The raw material came chiefly from South America, where it was collected from the native forests, and the idea of supplementing the quantity by cultivated rubber existed in the minds of few people. The estimated annual consumption of rubber, owing to the development of the electrical industry and introduction of motor and cycle tires, is now 100,000 tons, and to meet such a demand the rubber tree is being planted in every part of the tropical world suitable for its culture, as rapidly as can be done. Public companies have acquired and developed rubber estates in Ceylon, Java, Samoa, the Malay States, the Straits Settle. ments, and Africa, and there is little doubt that, as accurate statistics of results become available, improvements will be made in the methods of cultivation and collection, which will render the cost of putting rubber on the market much less, and will bring it to a higher perfection. No substitute for the natural rubber is likely to be invented, which can be applied equally well to all the purposes for which rubber is used, but in any case the margin of profit is large enough to allow of a diminution of price and yet attract capital. The various forms of rubber made are sheet, biscuit, crêpe, worm, lace, flake, and scrap rubber. The lowest price of the best Para rubber in 1908 was 2s. 9d. a lb. In April 1910 128. 4d. a lb. was paid, but in November the price was about 6s. 4d.'" MERCANTILE MARINE OF THE WORLD. THE WORLD'S STEAMSHIPS AND SAILING-VESSELS, 1910. BRITISH SHIPPING IN THE HOME AND FOREIGN TRADE. SHIPPING RINGS. [Much of the following information has been obtained from the Register Book and the annual Shipbuilding and Wreck Returns published by the Committee of Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping.] The total number of steamships and sailing-vessels of the world, of 100 tons and upwards, in the Register Book issued July ist, 1910, was 30,058, of 41,914,765 tons. The number of steamships was 22,008, having a gross tonnage of 37,290,695. The World's Steamships and Sailing-Vessels, 1010. * Lloyd's Register Book does not include vessels trading on the Caspian Sea nor wooden vessels trading on the Great Lakes of North America. In the absence of satisfactory information, the records of numerous small sailing-vessels (belonging chiefly to Greece, Turkey, Southern Russia, and the Dutch East Indies) are omitted from the Register Book. 1 Japanese sailing-vessels of under 300 tons net are not recorded in Lloyd's Register Book. |