Page:EB1911 - Volume 27.djvu/623

 Minerals and Mining.—The mineral production of the United Kingdom reached a total value in 1890 of £100,802,657 and in 1909 of £119,394,486, with a maximum during that period of £160,605,154 in 1900 and a minimum of £73,024,066 in 1893. These figures include pig-iron produced from foreign ores. About 73% represents the value of the coal output. The figures for the more important minerals are as follows:—

Gold ore, manganese ore and uranium ore are produced in small quantities, and the list of minerals worked in the United Kingdom also includes chalk, lead, alum, phosphate of lime, chert and flint, gravel and sand, zinc ore, gypsum, arsenic, copper, barytes, wolfram and strontium sulphate.

Metals were obtained from the ores as follows:—

The total number of persons employed in and about all the mines of the United Kingdom in 1901 was, and in 1909.

The production of coal in Great Britain, though marked by fluctuation, has, on the whole, largely increased, and in 1901 the output was % greater than that of. The maximum quantity extracted in any one year between 1890 and 1910 was tons in 1907, and the minimum  in 1893. The maximum estimated value, however, was £ for the tons raised in 1900; the value in 1907 being £.

In the chief coal-producing counties of England and Wales the quantity raised in 1900 and in 1909 will be found in the table at the foot of preceding column. Thus it appears that of the coal raised in England the county of Durham contributes about %, Yorkshire %, Lancashire %, and Derbyshire each about %, and Northumberland %; while of the coal raised in Wales % is contributed by the county of Glamorgan; and that the coal production of England and Wales together constitutes, in quantity and value, % of the whole production of the United Kingdom.

The export of coal greatly increased on the whole during the period 1890–1909 The following table shows this; the figures for 1893 are given as the lowest during the period. The tonnage of coke and patent fuel is included in the totals:—

The annual output of iron ore in the United Kingdom has on the whole decreased since. In that year it reached a maximum of tons; it then fell off to  tons in, rose in the two years following to nearly , fell to little over  in 1892–1893, rose fairly steadily to  in 1899, stood in 1900 at  tons of a value of £, and then showed a further fall and rise, until in 1905 the tonnage was , and the value £.

The iron ore raised in the various countries, and in the most productive counties, is here shown:—

The number of furnaces in blast (fractions showing the proportion of the year furnaces were in blast) was: in England ⁶/₁₂, Wales 19⁴/₁₂; ⁵/₁₂, total ³/₁₂. The total number of existing furnaces in 1900 was: in England, Wales, ; total; so that % of the number stood unused. In 1905 furnaces in blast numbered: England ¹/₁₂, Wales ⁸/₁₂, ⁹/₁₂; total ⁶/₁₂; and those existing: in England, Wales, ; total; and the percentage unused was thus.

In the imports of  ore amounted to  tons, in 1898 to  tons, in 1899 to  tons, in 1900 to  tons, in 1901 to  tons and in 1909 to  tons, of which the bulk was imported from. The amount of pig- obtained found its minimum, during the period 1890–1910, of tons in 1893, and its maximum of  in 1906, and in 1905 the quantity produced from foreign ores ( tons) for the first time exceeded that produced from British ores.

The quantity of lead ore produced within the United Kingdom has decreased. It is now less than one-half of the output of about, and the value has decreased more than proportionately. In the period 1890–1908 the maximum annual production of metallic from British ore was  tons in 1890, valued at £; the production fluctuated somewhat, but generally fell, to the minimum of  tons in 1902 (value £). The most productive counties are Flint, Durham and Derby; the ore obtained in the Isle of Man is increased in value by the silver it contains.