BRITISH TRADE 569 



totalled just upon 550,000,000 herrings, but the catch in 1912 exceeded that and all pre- 

 vious records. Protests have lately been made against the practice of trawling for 

 herrings and the consequent destruction of immature fish; the matter was the subject 

 of a deputation to the president of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries (Mr. Runci- 

 man) in October 1912, and the difficult questions involved may result in legislation and 

 international action. A movement has been started to organize steam trawling on co- 

 lonial fishing grounds in connection with Grimsby. A new trawling industry was ini- 

 tiated at the port of Blyth at the beginning of 1912. A considerable number of Cornish 

 fishing boats have been fitted with motors, including some of the larger craft engaged on 

 mackerel fishing in the Mount's Bay ports, and new boats for the pilchard and inshore 

 fisheries are being built with these engines along the south coast of Cornwall, especially 

 in the eastern ports, and in Devonshire. 



For the English and Welsh fisheries the total weight of wet fish landed in 191 1 was 14,418,- 

 904 cwt., and the total value 8,051,486, representing an increase in comparison with the 

 previous year of practically IO per cent in weight, I ut only I per cent iri value. The prin- 

 cipal fish were cod 2,562,182 cwt. (1,291,095); haddock 2,114,287 cwt. (1,269,432); 

 herring 4,995,976 cwt. (1,474,065); plaice 986,165 cwt. (985,098); hake 732,365 cwt. 

 (564,769); sole 61,817 cwt. (403,637). The total value of shell-fish Was 273,012, making, 

 a grand total value for all fish of 8,324,498 (an increase of 3.7 per cent on the average for 

 1906-10). The principal shell-fish were 4,785,984 crabs_ (54,034) ^570, 174 lobsters (27,- 

 435); 26,358,115 oysters (79,773). The imports of fish into the United Kingdom decreased 

 by 10 per cent in value in 1911, to 3,906,020, whereas the exports of fresh fish increased 

 by 66 per cent to 1,308,295, and those of cured or salt fish by 15 per cent to 5,118,825. 



Commerce. British trade has had three " record " years in 1910, 1911 and 1912, 

 each surpassing all others before it in the figures for imports and exports. Those for 

 1911 are analysed below; but the totals for 1912, as disclosed by the final monthly 

 Board of Trade returns issued on January 7, 1913, may first be given. The imports 

 were valued at 744,896,514 (nearly 65 million pounds more than 1911), the British 

 exports at 487,434,092 (over 33 millions more) and re-exports at 111,837,905 (over 

 9 millions more), the total exports being 599,271,907 (over 42 millions more). It 

 may be useful to show by comparison with previous years the enormous expansion that 

 has taken place, as shown by the import and export figures (in million pounds), in 

 British trade: 



1912. 1911. 1910. 1907. 1902. 1897. 



Imports :,',--,.:.'!> . '":. r f Uv.;744 680. 678 645 528 451 



Total Exports ;. ; . ,'.,,599 556 534 517 349 294 



British Exports . . . 487 454 430 426 283 234 



It will be seen that in fifteen years the exports of purely British products have more 

 than doubled. 



During 1912 the principal increases in imports were recorded in the following groups: 

 grain ana flour, +12,746,268; non-dutiable food and drink (other than meat, grain, and 

 flour), +3678,390; tobacco, + 1,088,933; wood and timber, +2,489,144; raw cotton, 

 + 9,083,446; textile materials other than cotton and wool, +3.967,054; oil seed, etc., 

 + 2,397,031; hides and undressed skins, +2,613,386; iron and steel, and their manu- 

 factures, + 3,618,654; cutlery and hardware, +1,717,532; machinery, +1,052,082; 

 chemicals, dyes, .etc.. +1,150,501; leather, excluding boots and shoes, +2,115,826; rail- 

 way cars, motor vehicles etc., +1,351,322. The total increase of 64,738,987 for the year 

 is divided broadly under Raw materials etc. 27,554,672, Articles wholly or mainly manu- 

 factured, 19,943,700, Food, Drink and Tobacco, 16,805,989, and miscellaneous, 434,616. 



In British exports the chief increases were in the following groups: food and drink (other 

 than grain, flour and meat), + 2,462,572; coal, coke and fuel, + 4,137,420; wool, + 916,- 

 474; iron and steel and their manufactures, +4,898,626; other metals, and their manu- 

 factures, + 1,276,613; electrical goods, +1,550,503; machinery, +2,201,094; new 

 ships, +1,368,784; cotton yarns, +2,164,560; yarns other than cotton, wool and silk, 

 + 1,376,487; apparel, +1,892,758; chemicals, +1,019,621; railway cars, motor vehicles 

 etc., + 1,641,546. The total increase of 33,314,704 is divided broadly under Articles 

 wholly or mainly manufactured, 22,996,368, Raw materials and articles mainly unmanu- 

 factured, 5,702,023, Food, Drink and Tobacco, 3,652,405, Miscellaneous 963,908. 



The increase in trade was reflected also in shipping activity. Ships entered with cargoes 

 exceeded those in 1911 by 4,401,543 tons, and those cleared with cargoes by 2,746,369 tons. 



