256 



REPORT — 1901. 



other in rapid succession, ranging in shade from blacks of various hues to 

 browns, olives, greens, and blues. As the most important of these I 

 may mention Vidal Black, Tmmedial Black, Katechine Black, Immedial 

 Blues, Pyrogene Blues, Katechine Brown, Katechine Green, &c. 



It may fairly be claimed, however, that the greatest triumph of the 

 coal-tar industry for the past fifteen yeai's has been the successful 

 production of artificial indigo on a large manufacturing scale. 



Returning from the scientific to the economic aspect of the subject, 

 I shall ask you now to consider what share we have obtained in the 

 great expansion of trade resulting from all these new discoveries, many 

 of which have originated in this country. The development of the 

 industry in Germany is well illustrated by the following figures : — 



Exports from Germany to the World. 



1885. 



1895. 



Aniline Oil and Salt 



Coal-tar Colours (excl. alizarine) 



Alizarine Colours . 



Tons. 

 1,713 



4,646 

 4,284 



Tons. 



7,13.5 



15,789 



8,927 



1899. 



Tons. 

 17,639 



Again, if we take values, we find that total exports of coal-tar 

 colours from Germany amounted in 1894 to 2,600,000/., and in 1898 to 

 3, .300,000/., an increase of nearly a million in four years. The latter 

 figure is practically the same as that given by Perkin as an estimate of 

 the ivorld's iotaX 'production in 1885, showing how great the increase has 

 been since this date. 



The value of Germany's entire production is somewhat difficult to 

 arrive at. Witt, in his report on the German chemical exhibit at the 

 Paris Exhibition, gives as the value of the total chemical industry of 

 Germany for the year 1897 the enormous sum of 4Gf; million pounds 

 sterlin"'. Of this sum Lefevre estimates that at least one tenth may be 

 put down to colouring matters, and another tenth to raw, intermediate, 

 and synthetic products from coal tar other than colours, and he thus 

 assif^ns for the total annual value of the coal- tar industry of Grermany the 

 sum of nine to ten million pounds sterling. With the increase in the 

 production of synthetic indigo, it may be taken to-day to considerably 

 exceed this figure. 



One may well wonder what becomes of this enormous quantity of 

 coal-tar products. According to the United States consular reports the 

 ?>\ million pounds' worth of coal-tar colours exported by Germany in 

 1898 were consumed as follows : — 



The TTnited States took 

 The United Kingdom took 

 Austria and Hungary ., . 

 Italy ,, . 



China ,, . 



7.5O,00nZ. worth. 

 730,000?. „ 

 350.000?. „ 

 225,000?. „ 

 270,000?. „ 



whilst the rest of the world took the remainder. 



The great increase in production in Germany is further shown by the 

 "towth in the capital and number of workpeople employed. Thus 

 according to a report of the Badiscbe Works, recently issued, the capital 



