Trade and Industry in Scotland.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2907, 24 February 1893, Page 2

Trade and Industry in Scotland.

I" Otago Daily Times " correspondent.) I Tn spite of the general about dull times, the customs revenue at all the Scottish ports, except Granton, shows a a considerable increase during 1892. Leith has been the mo»t prosperous of all, j the increase there amounting to no less than £113,496. The increase at Glasgow was £86,917 ; at Dundee it was £16,511; and at Aberdeen, £10,740. The returns issued by the Scottish ironmasters regarding their operations during 1892 show that the total production was 977 213 tons, being an increase of 302,788 tons on the make of 1891, In steel and malleable iron work the quantity of Scottish pig-iron consumed was 521,125 tons —an increase of no less than 285,973 tons as compared with the previous year. The exports amounted to 385,327 tons, , being a decrease of 28,286 tons. In spite ' of the now almost universal use of steel in ship-building, referred to below, ie was stated that the wages of steel-workers in the West of Scotland are now at the lowest point they have ever reached. A more cheerful note is sounded by the Dunfermline linen industry. Instead of suffering from the operation of the McKinley Tariff Act in the United States, as its had been expected to do, this trade seyms to have benefited by it. For ten years prior to the passing of the act, trade exigencies had led to the weaving of fabric coarser than those for which Dunfermline has been so long fain^i Now, however, the imposition of dul.-d in ihe United States on goods which contained less than 100 threads to the square inch, has led to the very general resumption of the weaving of tine fabrics. Che returns show an increase in the value of the linen goods exported direct through the Consulate at Dunfermline during last year of £31,938. The corresponding increase in cotton goods amounts to £5171> Another branch ot Scottish industry which seems to be snapping its fingers at American competition, in potato gi owing. On December 28 the Glasgow potato traders held their annual festival in the National Hall in tint city, when the chairman, Mr James Lyburn, said the wages in the trade were higher than they had ever been before, while hours were shorter. The growing of early potatoes in Ayrshire had caused the comple:e collapse of the Dutch early importations. The mos*. notable feature of the trade in recent years, however, h. d been the demand tor' America. That country might yet prove to be the saviour of the potato grower. Whatever eJ&a she could send she could not send uq potatoes, and long might she depend on the old country for her supply. Ireland was pouiing large quantities of potatoes iuto Glasgow and Liverpool for transhipment to America. Mr Lyburn added that the frost had done damage to the potato crop in Scotland to the amount of propably a quarter ot a million sterling, which had reduced her surplus for export. " Let their farmer friends," he concluded, "put on sufficient manure anrt produce ten tons per acre of good Bruces, and he would find a market for them any year at good prices." Amid the general moaning about agricultural depression, it does one good to hear a cheery voice like this. The annual returns setting forth the results of a year's work in the various Clyde shipbuilding yards are always awaited with interest, and this has been especially the case this year, on account of the recent tomewhat critical state of affairs. The output in 1892 amounted to 387 vessels of 339,407 tons, "or 17,987 tons wore than in 1891." In value, however, the year shows a decrease as compared with its predecessor, the total value of the vessels built in 1892 being estimated at about £7,500,000, which is about £500,000 less than in 1891. Thiu is principally owing to the increase in the number of -jailing vessels built, and the decrease in that of firstrclass,steamers. These changes are stated to be due to the combined influence of deav coal and low freights. The output of sailing vessels amounted to 159,497 tons. This total exceeds by 33,150 tons that of J. 891, and is four times greater th*n the output five years ago. The material used is now almost exclusively steel, which was represented by 31)2,307 tons, while iron accounted for only 7200 tons, and wood for the trifling total of 400 tons., Three warships, aggregating 22,820 tons, were launched last year,. ?he largest merchant vessel launched was the Cunard steamer Campania, of 12,500 tons, and her sister ship, which is now ready f r the water, will occuDy the same post of li nour during the current year. The Cuu.jj.inia is the largest steamer in the world. She is (J2oftv in length, with a beam of 64.3 ft. The largest Bailing ship launched in 189,2 was the Somali, of 3537 tqns, for a Liverpool owner. The orders in hand amount to about 200,000 tons, one half of which was booked during the last quarter of the year. Here it will be appropriate to notice some rather striking statements made by Mr Robert Caird, the well-known Greenock shipbuilder, at the annual con* cress ©f the Educational Institute of Scotland. Mr Caird "poke of the imperative need for employers ct labour to lead an organised movement ia favor of technical edugation, and said no one engaged in actual constructive work could form any adequate conception of the waste to the world by bad workmanship.' £5,000,000 sterling was invested in the mercantile marine of thia country in ex-f cess of the iron and steel employed in the Construction of vessels, on account of bad Vbrkinahship, *nd 2)00,000 tons of .coal were annually spent in propelling that weight. On" account 'of the 1 length to which specialisation had "been carried, workshops had ceased to be places where aoprentices learned a trade thoroughly ; hence technical passes with accompapying laboratories and workshops ware needed. He advocated compulsory teohniou even--in* workshop classes for youths from 16 to 18. The proposal was received with evident favour by the conference