152 report — 1865. 



of the Borough of Birmingham, and who are rated to the poor at not less than £15. 

 A fee of a guinea is paid annually on registration. The trade is required to meet 

 on the 9th of March in each year, when they elect the managers of the Proof 

 House. The total number of the guns and pistols proved in England during the 

 period 1865-1864 was 6,116,305. Of this number there were proved at the 

 Birmingham Trade Proof House, 3,277,815 ; at the Government Proof House in 

 Birmingham, 978,249 (these last represent military guns made for the English 

 service) ; at the London Proof House, 1,355,139; and at the Enfield Factory, 

 505,102. The Enfield Factory has only been in operation seven years. The 

 average annual production will thus be — Birmingham Trade Proof House, 

 327,781 ; Birmingham Government Proof House, 97,824 ; London Trade Proof 

 House, 135,513; Enfield Proof House, 72,154; making a total annual production 

 for the whole of England of 633,272. As near as can be estimated, the number of 

 small arms manufactured in Birmingham and elsewhere, for the Americans during 

 the last four years, make a total number of 1,078,205, Birmingham supplying 

 733,403 : London, 344,802. During the last ten years the total production of 

 England was, after deducting the number of arms made at the Enfield Factory, 

 5,611,203. The production of the Liege trade during the same ten years was 

 6,842,264, or something more than 1,000,000 in excess of our make. It must 

 be understood, however, that while the aggregate number produced in England is 

 less than that of Liege, the aggregate value of the British arms is greater. The Bel- 

 gians make a very large number of pocket-pistols at Is. 0^d. to Is. lid. each pistol. 

 In the ten years the number of pocket-pistols proved was 2,305,176 — more than one- 

 third of the entire make of Liege. In the English returns we have only 588,477 

 pistols, or little more than one-tenth, and none of these are sold at anything like 

 the prices of the common pistols of Liege. As the demand for English work runs on 

 superior qualities, the English makers have never attempted to make pistols of this 

 very low class. The following statement will show the number of guns made and 

 exported during the ten years, 1855-1864 : — Number of guns made in England 

 for ordinary trade, 3,822,457 ; of this number England exported 2,685,309 ; num- 

 ber of guns made in Belgium for trade, 5,390,675 ; number assumed to be exported 

 by Belgium, 3,760,450 ; declared value of Belgian exports, £4,743,296 ; value of 

 each gun, £l 5s. Id. The arms manufactured by the English trade for Govern- 

 ment use are estimated at £3 each. This is somewhat below the real value, but it 

 will be near enough for the present purpose. These data will give us the following 

 results as the value of the production of the two trades during the ten years 1855 

 to 1864 inclusive; Belgium, number of guns at 25s. 2d. each, 6,842,265; total 

 value of Belgian guns, £8,609,849. England, number of guns at 33s. lOd. each, 

 4,632,954 ; value of ditto, £7,837,409. ' Number of guns at £3 each, 978,249 ; 

 value of ditto, £2,934,747. Total value of English guns, £10,772,156. Although 

 the value of our trade is thus shown to be more than equal to that of the only 

 source of supply which at all approaches us in the extent of manufacture, it is 

 manifest that the Birmingham gun-trade must be on the alert if it is to maintain 

 its ground. To contend against the cheap labour of Liege is not an easy task. 

 The establishment of the machine factory, it is hoped, is a step in the right direc- 

 tion. It will secure for the town the trade in the highest class of military work, 

 which otherwise would have gone to its competitors. Excessive prices for labour 

 are still paid in certain branches of the work, particularly when sudden pressure comes 

 upon the trade. A more uniform rate of wages would benefit all parties ; the 

 master would feel more confidence in tendering for contracts at moderate rates, 

 and the workmen woidd secure more regular employment. 



Statistics of the Post- Office Savings" Banks. By Alfred Hill. 



The good effected by the Savings' Banks on the old principle, was limited by 

 their fewness (only 683 in the United Kingdom), by their want of security 

 (as proved by several failures), and by the short periods in the week during which 

 they were, kept open. As the Post-Office Savings' Banks have been well described 

 itn print*, this paper is confined to some special facts relating to their progress, for 



* See ' Her Majesty's Mails.' London : Sampson, Son, and Co., 1864 ; and the ' Edin- 

 burgh Review ' of July 1864. 



