Page:EB1922 - Volume 32.djvu/402

384

department in 1917 and 1918. The totals (including naval construction) for the five war years were:

Vessels

Tonnage

I.H.P.

1914 1915

1916

1917

1918

481 386 477 517 585

591.396 331.410 541.527 502,875 613,709

,192,347 ,231,043 ,898,044 ,628,950 .958,944

In no one of the war years did the tonnage approach that of 1913, but this is explained by the circumstance that the proportion of ton- nage to I.H.P. is much smaller in naval than in mercantile construc- tion, and the 1913 I.H.P. figures were exceeded in every year of the war. In the war years, the volume of naval repairs was also very great.

In 1919 the tonnage figures of Scottish yards rose to 729,490 with I.H.P. 1,590,894, and in 1920 to 778,914, with I.H.P. 673,040; the figures relate entirely to mercantile shipping, as naval construction was stopped. The increase of tonnage over 1918 was in the building of many cargo steamers, the average size of which was greater than before the war, and the decrease in new machinery indicated in the I.H.P. figures is explained by the circumstances that such steamers are of comparatively low power. Judged by the test of tonnage, the out- put for 1920 was not far below that of 1913, although the machinery installed was not much more than half; compared with the purely mercantile output of 1913, both the tonnage and the I.H.P. figures were larger in 1920, and the year ranked as second only to 1913, but the prospects for the future were very poor.

Snipping. The year 1911 was marked by a rise in freights which continued throughout 1912 and the first half of 1913, but in the end of that year there was something like a collapse, and the " slump" continued until the outbreak of war, when a temporary suspension of chartering was followed by a very sharp rise in freights which con- tinued, progressively until Government control began, in 1917. A further rise took place at the beginning of 1918 in order to cover Government liability for losses in tonnage through sinkings. The reorganization of Scottish shipping, after the interruption of the war, did not make much progress until the latter half of 1919, owing to the necessities of demobilization ; and the process of reorganiza- tion was hampered in 1920 by labour troubles and especially by the uncertainty of the export coal trade. Freights continued to be high in the early part of the year, but even high rates proved to be unprof- itable in view of the cost of coal and of labour and rises in harbour tolls, stevedoring, and insurance premiums; and in the end of the year there was a " slump" in freights. The effect of the war may be traced in the decrease in the total number of vessels registered in Scottish ports. In 1914 there were 494 sailing vessels, with net ton- nage 153,323 and 3,441 steam vessels with net tonnage 2,675,720 a total of 3,935 vessels with net tonnage 2,829,043. In 1918 there were 354 sailing vessels with net tonnage 82,181 and 2,759 steam vessels with net tonnage 1,797,907 a total of 3,113 vessels with net tonnage 1,880,088, the decrease in tonnage being constant and pro- gressive until 1918, in which year there was a check to the rate of the downward movement. The decrease in net tonnage registered in Scottish ports was 172,134 in 1915, 232,994 in 1916, 389,183 in 1917 and 154,644 in 1918, the figures in each case representing the decrease on those of the previous year. Statistics showing the recovery in 1919 and 1920 were not available in Feb. 1921. The following table shows the effects of the war and of the first year of peace upon the imports and exports of merchandise at Scottish ports:

the E. of Scotland, which is largely dependent on overseas trade. Ex- ports further decreased from 1915 to 191 7. In 1918 they amounted to 7,460,000 tons, or about 45 % of the pre-war average, but, in the end of that year, shipments to foreign countries were almost entirely suspended, owing to the demand for bunker coal and for coal for Ad- miralty and home use. Exports were specially low in the Forth area because the ports of Bo'ness. Grangemouth, Granton, and Burn- tisland were largely or entirely requisitioned by the Admiralty. In 1920 the coal controller, to safeguard an expanding home demand, placed very severe restrictions upon exports; and Scottish exports, in the first ten months of that year, amounted to 1,156,475 tons as compared with 2,129,059 tons in the first ten months of 1919 ; these figures are exclusive of bunker coal. Total output was reduced by strikes in 1912 and in 1920, and, during the war, by shortage of labour. Prices were low at the beginning of 1911 and fell in the first half of the year, but, by the beginning of 1912, they showed an ad- vance of from is. to 2s. per ton in all classes of fuel. Prices remained high in 1912 and rose in 1913; they varied at different periods in 1914, and the advance of recent years began in 1915, although there were remarkable fluctuations in 1916. Maximum retail prices were fixed for home consumption in 1917. After the Armistice, prices advanced rapidly in the second half of 1919, and the supply was unequal to the demand. Export prices reached an unprecedented level in 1920, but the beginning of 1921 witnessed a "slump" in exports. Before the war, the Scottish coal trade had to face German competition. At one time, Germany was an important market for Scottish coal, but exports to Germany had fallen to under 3,000,000 tons, and German coal was competing with Scottish coal in foreign markets. New mar- kets were, however, being opened up, and from 1911-4 Fife coal was developing large exports to S. America. A new dock at Methil, built principally for this trade by the North British Railway Co. (at a cost of nearly 1,000,000), was opened in 1913.

Iron and Steel. In spite of a temporary decline in the price of hematite pig-iron and steel scrap in 1911, the decade opened well for the steel and iron trades. There was an increase in steel exports in 1911 and it was maintained, in spite of the coal strike, in 1912, and in the first half of 1913; but German competition was severely felt both in home and in Japanese, Canadian and Indian markets. In 1914 both the pig-iron trade and the steel trade were inactive, but a rapid improvement followed the outbreak of war, and steel and malleable iron continued to be in great demand throughout the war. The pig-iron market, on the other hand, suffered in 1915 from an un- precedented advance in the price of ore and from freight difficulties. Early in 1916 all the works in which pig-iron was produced were placed under the Ministry of Munitions, and there was a steady de- mand in spite of reduced exports. The pressure of work in the steel and iron trades continued after the decontrol of steel in Jan. 1919 and of iron in the following April, and prices were high. In the end of the year steel ship-plates were 19 153., boiler ship-plates 24 IDS., and angles 19 53., net per ton delivered on the Clyde, as compared with 7 2s. 6d., 7 173. 6d., and 6 153., respectively, the highest prices in 1911. Hematite iron rose to 2ios. per ton as compared with 723., the highest price in 1911. Prices reached still higher levels in 1920, demand far exceeding supply in the earlier part of the year, but prices proved to be too high for remunerative trade, and reductions were made in November. Imports of pig-iron from France and Belgium were begun, but in quantities so small that com- petition with Scottish production had not yet become serious.

Mineral Oil. The Scottish mineral oil trade, the centre of which is W. Lothian, was suffering severely from foreign competition in the

Imports in British and Irish Exports Foreign and Colonial Exports .... Total in

1911

1915

1917

1918

1919

46,937,758 46,683,953

677,301

58,442,334 38,242,899 1,442,711

76,970,468

44,048,744 1,025,380

'09.343.866 32,333.700 526,349

112,631,887 69,661,877 6,146,906

O4.2OO.OI 2

q8.l27.Q44

122,044,592

142,203,915

188,440,670

Coal. The table at the foot of the page shows the output of Scottish coal in the decade.

The export trade before the war amounted in round numbers to 16,000,000 tons per annum, of which 6,500,000 represented bunker coal and coal shipped to home ports. The outbreak of war at once closed markets in Germany, Austria, Russia, and Turkey, and inter- rupted trade with other countries. The effect was specially felt in

years immediately preceding the war. Low prices and decreased dividends marked the year 1911 ; there was a revival in 1912, due partly to the general " boom " in trade and partly to the opening up of wider markets, and 1913 was also prosperous in spite of the grow- ing competition of the Mexican oilfields. Production remained about the average of over 3,000,000 tons of shale in 1914, but prices fluctuated, and exports decreased from 324,704 tons of oil in 1913 to

No. of mines at work under Coal Mines Act

No. of persons employed

No. of tons of coal produced

1911 1912

1913 1914 1915

1916

1917 1918 1919

5i8 520 542 547 535 537 522 522

The

138,377 143,302 147,549 146,168 121,854 127,104 130,027

124,475 144,286 estimated output for 1920 was 31,00

41,718,163 39,518,629 42,456,516 38,847,362 35,596,856 36,193,000 38,569,964 31,890,218 32,457,864 0,000 tons