Chapter XVII · STATISTICS.
Reading edition
Raw Materials.
The statistics concerning the trade in raw materials for paper-making are not published in a detailed form, all the various kinds of fibre, &c., being grouped under two heads, viz. rags (linen and cotton), and esparto (which embraces other fibres, and probably wood pulps). The figures for recent years are shown in the accompanying tables:—
(
a
) Imports of cotton and linen rags:
tons. l.
1880. 29,642 451,782
1881. 26,773 396,274
1882. 21,200 303,349
1883. 28,543 401,922
1884. 36,233 487,866
1885. 35,470 466,928
(
b
) Esparto and other material:
tons. l.
1880. 228,580 1,642,903
1881. 238,043 1,626,800
1882. 251,594 1,784,078
1883. 288,549 1,943,732
1884. 260,544 1,638,564
But a portion of these imports was exported again, the figures being as follows:—
(
a
) Exports of rags and other paper-making material produced in the United Kingdom:
tons. l.
1880. 55,792 673,523
1881. 50,488 563,460
1882. 49,352 526,554
1883. 51,293 502,851
1884. 60,924 562,903
(
b
) Exports of ditto of foreign and colonial produce:
tons. l.
1880. 6,965 102,499
1881. 10,183 146,101
1882. 7,004 84,515
1883. 11,561 121,992
1884. 26,498 274,664
The relative proportions of raw material furnished by the various countries in 1884 (the latest available return) are shown in the subjoined tables:—
(
a
) Imports of linen and cotton rags in 1884:
From Tons. £
Germany 21,280 294,883
Holland 4,406 56,537
Belgium 2,867 34,713
Turkey 2,036 16,228
France 1,875 28,133
Russia 1,784 33,293
Channel Islands 282 3,972
Norway 261 3,377
Denmark 198 3,020
British South Africa 133 1,615
Australasia 113 2,245
Canary Islands 96 1,043
Spain 93 1,009
Argentine Republic 64 1,280
Other countries 745 6,518
36,233 487,866
(
b
) Imports of esparto and other fibres in 1884:
From Tons. £
Algeria 88,357 515,232
Spain 40,159 314,927
Tripoli 33,930 172,282
Tunis 20,526 117,374
Other countries 1,033 5,738
184,005 1,125,553
(
c
) Imports of other materials, including rag and wood pulps, in 1884:
{223}
From Tons. £
Norway 47,923 276,204
Belgium 7,169 58,383
Holland 6,484 46,104
Sweden 5,178 48,523
Germany 3,732 36,582
France 2,128 14,667
Denmark 1,205 13,332
British India 1,046 7,735
Egypt 870 4,933
Other countries 804 6,544
76,539 513,011
A considerable export of raw material for paper-making also takes place from British shores, the figures, embracing rags and other materials, for 1884 being as below:—
(a) Exports of home produced rags and other paper-making materials in 1884: To Tons. £ United States 59,222 550,924 Holland 649 2,703 British America 390 4,255 Germany 262 1,673 Other countries 401 3,348 60,924 562,903
(b) Exports of foreign produced ditto in 1884: (i.) Linen and cotton rags. To Tons. £ United States 14,191 167,801 Other countries 514 5,519 14,705 173,320 (ii.) Esparto and other fibres. To Tons. £ All countries 140 701 (iii.) Pulps and other materials. To Tons. £ United States 11,290 97,620 Other countries 363 3,023 11,653 100,643
{224}
Our imports of “rags and other paper-making materials” from Norway increased from 23,483 tons, value 138,098l., in 1880, to 48,199 tons, 279,679l., in 1884, mainly owing to the development of the wood-pulp industry. Later figures will probably show a similar increment. The same articles from Denmark grew from 359 tons, 3406l., in 1880, to 1403 tons, 16,352l., from the same cause. German statistics have even a stronger upward tendency: 11,587 tons, 196,051l., in 1880, against 196,051 tons, 331,591l., in 1884. Our receipts of esparto from Algeria show an advance, but not a marked one, being 60,612 tons, 421,343l., in 1880, and 88,357 tons, 515,232l., in 1884. But shipments of the same fibre from Spain show a decline from 51,413 tons, 454,713l., in 1880, to 40,159 tons, 314,927l., in 1884; and from Morocco they have fallen away from 2879 tons, 18,231l., in 1880, to 260 tons, 1290l., in 1884; while the figures relating to Tunis and Tripoli also show a disposition to recede, though not at such a rapid rate.
The wood-pulp industry of Norway for the year 1886 shows a very large increase upon the figures of a few years back, albeit prices have ruled very low. This latter circumstance is attributed, not so much to over-production, as to excessive competition among the sellers of this article. The quantity exported during the year 1886 is about 120,000 tons; in the year 1885 it was 107,651 tons; 1884, 88,220 tons; 1883, 70,464 tons; 1882, 58,884 tons; 1881, 42,194 tons; 1880, 26,055 tons. Several of the old works have extended their production during the past year, and several new establishments are in the course of erection, so the production this year may probably be put at 150,000 tons wood pulp with 50 per cent. water. The greatest part of the Norwegian wood pulp is exported to England, France, and Belgium; in Russia, the increase in the duty has stopped business, and the same can almost be said of Germany. America, too, has drawn part of her supply from Norway, but this trade is not expected to continue. {225}
Manufactured Material.
Our import trade in manufactured paper has been growing of late years, as the following figures will show:—
Imports of paper and pasteboard, of all kinds except hangings:
cwt. l.
1880. 1,021,952 1,159,646
1881. 1,065,912 1,138,943
1882. 1,098,118 1,202,905
1883. 1,160,104 1,245,861
1884. 1,447,335 1,403,446
At the same time, our exports of manufactured paper, though amounting to only about one-third the weight, have very nearly as high an aggregate value as the imports, and have increased in much the same proportion in corresponding years. Thus:—
Exports of paper of all kinds but hangings:
cwt. l.
1880. 472,168 1,106,996
1881. 555,219 1,242,962
1882. 584,947 1,305,025
1883. 597,923 1,284,862
1884. 670,760 1,374,392
The above figures relate to paper manufactured in the United Kingdom. In addition, there were re-exports of paper of foreign and colonial manufacture to the following amounts:—
Re-exports of foreign-made paper:
cwt. l.
1880. 68,843 108,426
1881. 68,861 101,197
1882. 50,403 82,464
1883. 49,526 76,620
1884. 51,467 78,785
Taking the latest year for which detailed statistics are available, viz. 1884, we find that the importations of paper {226} are derived from foreign states in the following proportions:—
Imports of paper in 1884—
(
a
) Writing or printing paper:
From Cwt. £
Germany 92,681 129,112
Belgium 42,139 68,370
Sweden 27,747 36,682
Holland 26,507 34,884
France 6,463 28,925
Austria 5,399 9,314
Norway 4,300 4,771
Other countries 3,174 5,655
208,410 317,713
(
b
) Unenumerated sorts:
From Cwt. £
Germany 139,156 209,916
Sweden 116,488 120,793
Belgium 82,263 124,476
Holland 54,594 84,699
Norway 32,294 26,765
France 19,328 69,763
United States 10,980 31,201
Austria 5,927 12,012
Spain 736 4,059
Japan 421 4,736
Other countries 3,547 5,995
465,734 694,415
(
c
) Pasteboard and millboard:
From Cwt. £
Holland 439,749 201,894
Germany 235,658 116,185
Belgium 51,235 25,350
Sweden 32,331 20,241
Norway 8,260 5,726
France 3,262 19,259
Other countries 2,696 2,663
773,191 391,318
The exports of home-made paper in the same year were distributed as follows:— {227}
Exports of home-made paper in 1884—
(
a
) Writing, printing, and envelopes:
To Cwt. £
Australasia 280,024 545,830
France 44,427 101,833
Bengal and Burma 33,963 71,834
Bombay and Scinde 29,767 64,227
British South Africa 16,900 33,041
British North America 14,871 44,511
Madras 10,532 25,651
Argentine Republic 8,683 30,954
United States 6,985 31,722
Sweden and Norway 6,101 11,870
Belgium 5,981 13,926
Germany 5,969 14,188
British West Indies 4,706 13,411
Ceylon 4,668 10,919
Other countries 31,397 93,454
504,973 1,107,371
(
b
) Pasteboard and millboard:
To Cwt. £
Australasia 14,542 20,771
Bengal and Burma 5,147 4,589
Bombay and Scinde 4,572 4,134
France 987 2,309
Other countries 5,571 13,367
30,819 45,170
(
c
) Unenumerated, and articles made of paper:
To Cwt. £
Australasia 62,731 81,385
British South Africa 9,341 11,809
Bombay and Scinde 7,146 10,389
Argentine Republic 6,283 8,113
Germany 5,147 11,394
Belgium 5,122 11,300
France 5,052 16,238
Bengal and Burma 5,006 6,678
United States 4,841 14,668
British America 3,737 7,801
Holland 2,410 5,529
Other countries 18,152 36,547
134,968 221,851
{228}
The re-exports of foreign and colonial-made papers during the same period went to the following destinations:—
Re-exports of foreign paper in 1884—
(
a
) Printing and writing:
To Cwt. £
British India 10,488 14,643
Australasia 4,908 7,695
Other countries 3,236 7,554
18,632 29,892
(
b
) Unenumerated:
To Cwt. £
British India 5,852 7,354
Egypt 5,167 7,751
Australasia 2,131 4,398
Russia 1,560 7,829
Other countries 8,465 15,825
23,175 43,157
(
c
) Pasteboard and millboard:
To Cwt. £
All countries 9,660 5,736