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UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
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The annual output of tin ore, which in 1878 amounted to 15,045 tons, valued at £530,737, fell to 12,898 tons in 1881, though the value in that year rose to £697,444. During the years 18821892 the average output was over 14,000 tons, and its average value about £770,000, but in Tin.1893 a decline began in the output (not however accompanied closely by a decline in the value), slightly relieved about 1905.

Year. Tin Ore. Value.
  Tons. £
1893 13,689 637,053
1900 6,800 523,604
1905 7,201 574,183
1909 5,193 617,376

Tin ore is obtained almost exclusively in Cornwall.

Like others of the less important mining industries, copper mining in the United Kingdom has declined. In 1881 the output of ore amounted to 52,556 tons, in 1891 to 9158 tons, in 1893 to 5576 tons, in 1905 to 7153 tons, valued at £32,696 and yielding 716 tons of metal by smelting. Copper.The total tonnage of ore included 5757 tons from England (chiefly from Cornwall) and 1146 from Ireland (Wicklow, &c.). Copper precipitate is taken from water pumped up from old copper mines on Parys Mountain in Anglesey.

Zinc ore is obtained chiefly from mines in Cumberland, Wales and the Isle of Man. In 1881 the output reached 35,527 tons, valued at £110,043; in 1891 the output was only 22,216 tons, but its value was £113,445. In 1897 the quantity was 19,278 tons, and the value £69,134; but in 1898 Zinc.the price had risen so that the output of 23,552 tons was worth £117,784. In 1900 the output of 24,675 tons was worth £97,606; and in 1905 that of 23,909 tons was worth £139,806.

During the period 1890-1905 gold mines were worked continuously in Merionethshire. Notices of the discovery of gold elsewhere (as in the Forest of Dean, Argyllshire and Ireland) have appeared from time to time.

The principal fluctuations in production were as follows:—

Year. Ore. Gold. Value.
  Tons. Oz. £
1890 575 206 675
1891 14,117 4,008 13,700
1893 4,489 2,309 8,691
1895 13,266 6,600 18,520
1898 703 395 1,229
1900 20,802 14,004 52,147
1902 29,953 4,181 14,570
1904 23,203 19,655 73,925
1905 15,981 5,797 21,222
1908 915 3,311

It should be noted also that from imported cupreous iron pyrites, copper, gold and silver are extracted at some fifteen metal extraction works in Great Britain. From 386,858 tons of burnt ore in 1900 there were obtained 13,925 tons of copper, 1777 oz. of gold and 309,486 oz. of silver; and in 1905 the figures were: ore, 402,863 tons; copper, 14,502 tons; gold, 1850 oz.; silver, 322,291 oz.

Textile Industries.—The most important of the textile industries of Great Britain is cotton manufacture. The quantities of raw cotton imported, exported and retained for consumption for various years during the period 1890-1910 were as Cotton.follows:—

Year. Imported. Exported. Retained.
 
1890 1,793,495,200 214,641,840 1,578,853,360
1893 1,416,780,064 224,621,488 1,192,158,576
1895 1,757,042,672 203,284,592 1,553,758,080
1898 2,128,548,352 203,072,464 1,925,475,838
1900 1,760,206,672 215,747,168 1,544,459,504
1905 2,203,595,520 283,177,888 1,920,417,632
1907 2,386,901,104 330,352,064 2,056,549,040
1909 2,188,761,456 268,633,456 1,920,128,000


During the same period the minimum and maximum amount of raw cotton (in ℔) imported into the United Kingdom from the principal countries whence it is exported was as follows: United States of America (1893), 1,055,855,360; (1898), 1,805,353,424; Egypt (1890), 181,266,176; (1907), 423,052,448; British possessions in the East Indies (1898), 27,349,728; (1890), 238,746,704; (1909), 75,621,168; Brazil (1899), 5,464,592; (1906), 54,362,000; Peru (1891), 6,175,344; (1909), 24,413,648. In 1905 there were imported 7,941,920 from Chile (only 195,328 in 1909); 6,033,104 from Canada (this also fluctuates greatly: 1,801,072 in 1909); 1,241,408 from British West Africa (4,985,232 in 1909); 1,126,720 from the British West Indies and Guiana (3,022,208 in 1908).

According to the census returns of 1901 there were 546,065 persons employed in cotton factories, 199,920 male and 346,145 female. Of the total number of workpeople, 529,131 were employed in England and Wales, 14,805 in Scotland and 212 in Ireland. In 1907 the total had risen to 576,820 (217,742 males and 359,078 females).

The extent of the woollen and worsted manufactures of the United Kingdom is indicated by the following table showing the imports and exports of wool and the quantity wool retained for use in various years Wool.(18901905):—

Year. Imports. Exports of
imported Wool.
Retained.
 
1890 633,028,131 340,712,303 292,315,828
1895 775,379,063 404,935,226 370,443,337
1898 699,555,048 283,317,748 416,237,300
1900 558,950,528 196,207,261 362,743,267
1905 620,350,885 277,864,215 342,486,670
1907 764,236,625 313,519,232 450,767,343
1909 808,710,087 390,695,182 418,014,905

During the same period the minimum and maximum amount of wool (in ℔) imported into the United Kingdom was as follows: Australia (1904), 220,483,961; (1895), 417,163,078; New Zealand (1890), 95,632,598; (1909), 176,457,150; British possessions in South Africa (1900), 32,219,369; (1909), 115,896,598; South America (1890), 11,173,692; (1908), 78,938,15; British possessions in the East Indies (1901), 24,069,571; (1909), 56,238,63; France (1890), 10,873,788; (1902), 27,770,790; Turkish Empire (1908), 5,705,671; (1897), 25,727,462.

In the woollen and worsted industries 239,954 persons were employed according to the census of 1901, of whom 99,425 were males and 140,529 females. Of the total number 209,700 were employed in England and Wales, 24,906 in Scotland and 5348 in Ireland.

The numbers of persons employed in the other principal textile industries in 1901 was as follows:—

   England 
and
 Wales. 
 Scotland  Ireland  United Kingdom.   Total. 
 Males.   Females. 
 Flax   .   .  4,493 23,570 71,464 29,226 70,301 99,527
 Hemp, jute            
&c.   .   .  2,750 39,200 639 11,618 30,971 42,589
Silk   .   .  34,847 2,424 209 11,058 26,422 37,480
Hosiery   .  48,374 11,957 611 15,067 45,875 60,942


Commerce.—British commerce received an enormous development after the first quarter of the 19th century. In 1826 the aggregate 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 the commercial transactions of the United Kingdom with foreign states and British colonies increased more than sevenfold in the course of fifty years.

An important fact in connexion with the foreign commerce of the United Kingdom is that there has been a steady increase in imports, but there has been no corresponding steady increase in exports of British produce and manufactures. Many industries, which formerly were mainly in British hands, have been developed on the continent of Europe, in America, and to some extent in the East. The movement began in 1872. Up to that time the exports of British home produce had kept on increasing with the imports, although at a lesser rate, and far inferior in aggregate value; but a change took place in the latter year. While the imports continued their upward course, gradually rising from £354,693,624 in 1872 to £375,154,703 in 1876, the exports of British produce fell from £256,257,347 in 1872 to £200,639,204 in 1876. The decline in exports, regular and steady throughout the period, and with a tendency to become more pronounced every year, affected all the principal articles of British home produce just enumerated. The value of the cotton manuctures exported sank from £80,164,155 in 1872 to £67,641,268 in 1876; woollen fabrics from £38,493,411 to £23,020,719; iron and steel from £35,996,167 to £20,737,410; coals from £10,442,321 to £8,904,463; machinery from £8,201,112 to £7,210,426; and linen manufactures from £10,956,761 to £7,070,149. The decline during the four years, it will be seen, was greatest in all textile manufactures, and least in coal and machinery.