FISHERIES.] E N G L A N D 233 [emp ndjute ictories. osiery, ,ce, and iodly stories. tipervi- ,on of ictories The chief seat of the flax manufacture, it will be seen, is in Yorkshire. It is a new branch of industry in Leicestershire and the adjoining midland counties, where it did not exist previous to 1870. Hemp and Jute. Among the minor textile manufactures, hemp and jute come next to flax. The hemp manufacture is of comparatively recent date. There were but five hemp factories in Hie United Kingdom in 1861, but they had increased to Gl in 1874. Of these 45 were in England, 12 in Scotland, and 4 in Ireland. The English hemp factories, situated mainly in Lancashire and the northern counties, had in use 6448 spindles and 22 power-looms in 1874, and gave employment to 3039 persons, of whom 1574, or about one-half, were women. Of jute factories, there were in the United Kingdom 110 in 1874, England having 15, Scotland 84, and Ireland 11. The English jute factories, distributed over the northern and midland counties, had in use 21,754 spindles and 927 power-looms in 1874, and employed 4933 persons, of whom 3423, or nearly three-fourths, were women. In 18G1 the whole of the jute factories of England employed only 107 persons. Hosiery, Lace, and Shoddy, There are enumerated in parliamentary papers, and various official returns, a number of other existing factories, among them of hosiery, lace, "shoddy," hair, felt, and elastic fabrics. The hosiery factories of the United Kingdom employed 11,980, and the lace factories 10,373 persons in 1874 ; but all the others gave employment, in the aggregate, to less than 9000 workers. The hosiery factories were all in England, with the exception of 4 in Scotland, employing 1006 persons. In the English hosiery factories, 65 in number, nearly all in Leicestershire and adjoining midland counties, there were 10,914 persons employed in 1874, about one-half of them women. The hosiery factories of England more than doubled from 1861, when their number was 65, to 1874. The same was the case with the lace factories, which increased from 186 in 1868 to 311 in 1874. Another notable textile industry enumerated in the official returns is that of "shoddy factories." There were of these establishments, 125 in the. United Kingdom in 1874, all of them in England, with the exception of some very small Scottish ones, returned as employing together 7 persons. The English shoddy factories, dispersed in 1874 over York shire and Lancashire, with but a few in other counties, had in use in that year 101,134 spindles and 1437 power- looms, and employed 3424 persons, more than one-half of them women. There was an increase in the shoddy factories of Lancashire from 1868 to 1874, but a decrease during the same period in those of Yorkshire. Factory Supervision. To protect the health of the people employed in English manufacturing industries, and to pre serve them from accidents of all kinds, parliament passed in recent years a number of laws, knowngenerallyas the Factory Acts. In these Acts, the hours of labour are restricted, more especially for young persons and women, who cannot be set to work for more than 12 hours on any day, and not for more than 60 hours per week. The due execution of the Factory Acts is superintended by inspectors of factories, appointed by the Government, who have to make to the home secretary half-yearly reports, which are printed and laid before parliament. In a recent report it is stated that the laws passed are constantly more appreciated both by employers of labour and by the workers, but that the- latter are subjected to much suffering through stagnation of trade. The latter is ascribed mainly to foreign competition. While there is doubtless truth in this view, there can be equally little doubt that other causes have affected, and continue to affect, English manufacturing industry. FISHERIES. The stagnation of trade which made itself felt, in recent years, in the chief manufactures, operated also upon the fisheries. It appears from official returns Fish that there was a gradual decrease in the number of fishing eries boats, as will be seen from the subjoined table, which gives "?!" tue number of boats of which the tonnage was known, for each division of the United Kingdom in the years 1872, 1873, and 1874: Divisions. 1872. -: 1874. Number. Number. Number. England and Wales 1-1 237 14 171 14 16 Scotland 14 451 13 954 13 471 Ireland 8 450 7 193 6 529 Isle of Man 375 371 377 Channel Islands 783 600 568 Total 38 298 36 89 35 071 The following table shows the tonnage of the preceding Tom number of fishing boats, in each of the yenrs named : of fi? boat 1872. 1873. 1874. Tons. Tons. Tons England and Wales 140,535 145,134 150,268 Scotland 92,595 92,224 91,119 Ireland 28 651 25,629 25 226 Isle of Man . 5 047 5 032 5 185 Channel Islands 2,988 2,725 2,469 Total. 269 816 270 744 274,267 It will be seen that there was au increase, during the three years, in the total tonnage of the English, but a decrease in that of the Scottish and Irish fishing boats, as well as in that of the Channel Islands. The fishing boats of the United Kingdom are divided by the Board of Trade into three classes, the first class com- prising all boats over 15 tons ; the second all boats under 15 tons, propelled otherwise than by oars; and the third class all boats navigated only by oars. The number of the first class in England and Wales at the end of 1874 was 2934, with a tonnage of 110,500, and in Scotland 2407, with a tonnage of 40,629. Of fishing boats of the second class there were at the same date 8313, with a tonnage of 35,670, in England, and 9815, with a tonnage of 48,124, in Scotland. Of boats of the third class, there were in England 2879, with a tonnage of 4098, and in Scotland 1249, with a tonnage of 2366. Thus England had the superiority in vessels of the first and third, but not in those of the second class. The fisheries of England are devoted mainly to the netting of mackerel, pilchards, and similar fish, and those of Scotland to cod, ling, and herrings. The imports of fish from foreign countries have in recent years been on the increase, and the exports on the decrease, The total value of the imports of fish in 1872 was ,859,042, and in 1876 it amounted to .1,459, 974. The total exports of fish were of the value of 1,183,801 in 1872, and of .624,726 in 1876. The exports are chiefly in herrings, of which 631,750 barrels were shipped to foreign countries in 1872, and 426,588 barrels in 1876. (See also FISHERIES.) VI. Commerce. Shipping. British commerce received an enormous development, un- paralleled in the history of any nation, during the half a century from 1826 to 1876. In the year 1826 the aggre- gate value of the imports into and exports from the United Kingdom amounted to no more than .88,758,678 ; while the total rose to 110,559,538 in 1836, and to 205,625,831 in 1846. In 1856 the aggregate of imports and exports had risen to .311,764,507, in 1866 to 534,195,956, and in 1876 to 631,931,305. Thus tue commercial transac tions of the United Kingdom those of England, by itself, YTTI. , cias catic ^ s r m p< anil < r rt< p r og
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