ENGLAND AND WALES 567 



ing current through west Cornwall from Cambornc on the east to St. Just, with a branch 

 to Penzance, on the west. The wires are carried across country on overhead standards. 

 At present the chief users are the mines. The whole of the mining schools of Cornwall 

 have been combined in one school of metalliferous mining at Camborne, and the local 

 schools at Redruth, Truro and Penzance are now closed for mining education* 



Important developments .are anticipated from the recent discovery of radium in the 

 famous hot springs at Bath. A discovery of gold was reported in Jersey in 1911. 



Manufacturing Industries. The Midlands; In all branches of trade in the Birming- 

 ham district there has been an improvement during the past two years. The South 

 Staffordshire iron trade has experienced a. remarkable revival. The former preference 

 of steel over iron has in many cases disappeared, whereas the open hearth process for 

 steel has also regained favour, to the advantage of this district. In bars, billets and all 

 other classes of semi-raw and finished material there have been repeated advances of 

 selling prices, and during 1912 the price of pigiron moved slowly but steadily upwards. 

 The insufficient supply and high price of coke has seriously handicapped the iron trade 

 during the past year. Ironworkers have received several advances in wages. Foreign 

 competition in bar iron, steel billets, etc.-, has diminished considerably during 191.2.- 



In the copper, brass and metal trades, there has been constantly increasing activity. 

 By the formation of associations and manufacturers combinations selling prices have been 

 improved. Repeated advances in selling prices were declared in 1912, though without a 

 corresponding increase in profits, owing to the high prices of fuel and raw materials. 



The selling prices of metal bedsteads have been increased, through the formation of an 

 alliance embracing all the principal factories. 



The cycle and motor trades have increased in prosperity.. The trade in bicycles fell off 

 a little in 1911 but revived in 1912, while the popularity of the motor cycle has greatly aug- 

 mented business. Many motor car manufacturers have turned their attention to vehicles 

 for heavy traffic; others, again, are making special efforts to produce cheap cars in order to 

 meet American competition. The amalgamation of the Daimler Company (Coventry) 

 with the Birmingham .Small Arms Company has proved successful. 



The Birmingham gun trade has fully recovered its former prosperity. Both the home 

 and the export demand for good sporting guns and rifles have steadily improved. A difficulty 

 is found, however, in obtaining skilled men. Belgian and other foreign competition has 

 been largely met by the designing of cheap machine-made guns with standardised parts. 

 The Gun Trade Technical School has been placed under the Birmingham Education 

 Committee, though it still receives financial support from the guardians of the Proof House. 



The jewellery trade of Birmingham has experienced some fluctuations, but the average 

 volume of business tends to increase. Several new factories have been erected. 



In the button trade, which has suffered from changes in fashion, employment at the end 

 of 1912 was exceedingly good. All the fancy and miscellaneous trades have been busy. 



In all the metal trades wages have been advanced, the advances ranging from 5 to 20 

 per cent. Strikes have been comparatively few and unimportant. The most notable was 

 that of the Birmingham Small Arms Company's employes in October 1911, which affected 

 over 3,000 persons and lasted four weeks. It was ended by important concessions. 



Electrical engineering and trades accessory to it have grown enormously in the Mid- 

 lands during the past two years, and export business has been unprecedented. 



In the saddlery and harness and general leather goods trades of Walsall, which was 

 recently in a depressed state, there has been a return to prosperity especially in connexion 

 with the export trade. Prices have advanced considerably, not only on account of demand 

 but also through the very large increase in the cost of leather and other materials. The 

 engineering and hardware trades of the town and neighbourhood have also prospered. 



At, Coventry the watch trade has been exceedingly busy owing to the growing preference 

 for English-made watches. The artificial silk trade is increasing, and the general engineer- 

 ing trades have done well. A large- electrical industry appears likely to grow up. 



The trade of Leicester shows progress, boot and shoe exports being heavier than pre- 

 viously, and hosiery and elastic webbing employing many hands. Large works for general 

 electrical engineering constitute an important new industry in Northampton. The growing 

 industries of Peterborough include a large shop fitting factory. In Nottingham the tendency 

 of lace-making firms to erect factories in outlying districts has acted as a stimulus to new 

 industries. Blouse and robe-making have become of great importance, engineering and 

 wood-working occupy much labour, and in 1912 there was. introduced a new machine for 

 the making of embroidery. It was announced in October 1912 that a large lace-manufactur- 

 ing business would be removed from Beeston (Notts) to Raab in Hungary, as a result of 

 the effect of hostile tariffs, and that facilities and remission from taxation had been granted 

 by the Hungarian government. Through the activity of the Derby Borough Development 



