OUR EXPORT OF COAL
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ports have shown a heavy decline. This result will be most clearly shown as follows:
| Total Exports. | Coal. | All other Exports.& | |
| Million £. | Million £. | Million £. | |
| 1880-1884 | 99·6 | 5·9 | 93·7 |
| 1900-1904 | 108·4 | 16·0 | 87·4 |
| +3·8 | +10·1 | −6·3 |
The point may be clinched by putting together two sets of figures compiled by the Board of Trade officials, appearing in the second of the famous Blue-books. In column A the compilers deduct not only coal, but all other articles not wholly or mainly manufactured.
| A. Exports of Articles wholly or mainly manufactured in the United Kingdom to the principal Protected Foreign Countries, 1870-1904. | B. Imports of Foreign Manufactores into the United Kingdom, 1870-1904. | |
| Million £. | Million £. | |
| 1870 | 80⋅7 | 52⋅5 |
| 1880 | 81⋅9 | 76⋅4 |
| 1890 | 87⋅2 | 89⋅9 |
| 1900 | 80⋅3 | 128⋅3 |
| 1904 | 72⋅1[1] | 135⋅2[1] |
It is a contrast for thought. To all the chief continental countries and the United States we are exporting products of British manufacture to a less amount than we did more than a generation ago. Their exports of finished articles to us have risen by leaps and bounds.
