THE GLASS INDUSTRY. 
€1 17s. a ton for the same quality, and coke from 12s. 6d. to £2 7s. 6d. a 
ton, from June, 1914, to November, 1918. The cost of fuel has risen 
about 100 per cent., and as the old style of furnace is very uneconomical 
the extra costs are a very great handicap. Raw material has also risen 
about 100 per cent., on an average, e.g., good common sand from 6s. to 
10s. a cubic yard; best French sand, 21s. to 44s. a ton; potash, 35s. a 
ewt. (June, 1914) to £12 10s. a ewt. (November, 1918); saltpetre, £26 a 
ton to £64 a ton; soda ash, £3 16s. to £6 6s.; and red lead, £28 to £56 a 
ton. In addition to the great increases in the costs of raw material and 
the doubling of wages since the beginning of the war, Britain has to face 
fhe restrictions of markets owing to the developments abroad. Other 
countries have been compelled to develop the glass industry to supply 
their own needs, and the United States of America and Japan have 
become keen competitors in the world’s markets. Other countries like 
Canada, India, and Argentina have also developed the glass industry. 
Although the industry was fairly prosperous in Japan before the war, 
only the smaller articles, such as lamps, bottles, tableware, flower vases, 
&c., were manufactured. Very little plate glass was made, owing to 
difficulties of manufacture. Practically all her window glass was im- 
ported. Now she supplies all her own requirements, and exports to the 
value of £350,000. Her other exports amount to £1,500,000 a year. 
The production of optical glass has been especially successful, and 
binoculars are now manufactured. Such countries opening up a new 
industry have the advantage of installing the most efficient types ‘of 
furnace and all automatic machinery. The number of tank furnaces 
increased from 68 in 1915 to 106 in 1916, but fell to 88 in 1917. In 
addition, in 1917 there were in use 94 gas-fired pot furnaces (366 pots) 
and 663 direct-firing pot furnaces (2,230 pots, an increase of 641 on 
1915). he total number of factories increased from 459 in 1918, em- 
ploying 8,870 workers (480 females), to 822 in 1917, employing 17,700 
workers (2,100 females). The total value of glass products was 
£785,000 in 1914 (glass bottles £300,000) and £2,736,000 in 1917 (glass 
bottles £875,000, lighting apparatus £262,000), and the value of the 
exports increased from £291,000 in 1914 (bottles £115,000, mirrors 
£57,000) to £1,448,000 in 1917 (window glass £311,000, bottles £440,000, 
mirrors £148,000), and £1,608,000 in 1918 (window glass £351,000, 
bottles £384,000, mirrors £200,000). 
- Japan has certain advantages in possessing abundant cheap labour, 
coal, and sodium silicate.. She had, however, to import from the United 
States of America large quantities of soda ash and caustic soda (1913, 
£131,000; 1916, £293,000), and most of her machinery. In 1917 wages — 
were 1s. 7d. a day for males and 84d. for females over 15 years of age (73 
per cent. and 8 per cent. respectively of total), and 7d. for males under 15 
years (18 per cent. of total). Some of the factories are well equipped, all 
machinery being electrically driven; and the Asahi Glass Company 
(Mitsubishi), ¢.g., has an output of 100,000,000 square feet of window 
glass a year. Although much of the early war period glassware was very 
irregular and badly annealed, the colour was good, and the Government . 
is endeavouring to maintain the export trade which they have already 
procured. Regulations have been issued designed to maintain a high 
standard, which all exported ware must pass, and the packages must 
bear the certification mark. Australia has had experience of Japanese 
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