Chapter XII · STATISTICS

The British carpet manufacturing trade cannot claim to compare in size with the larger industries of the country; but the figures which follow will give some measure of its extent. It should be premised that, owing to the disturbance of the industry caused by war conditions, it is necessary to go back to 1913 to obtain figures which can be regarded as approximately normal.

There are forty-five firms engaged in the manufacture of carpets, of whom eleven are located in Scotland, nine in the North of England, eighteen in Kidderminster and district, and seven in other parts of the country. Kidderminster is thus, both in the number of manufacturers, and in its productive capacity, the most important centre of the trade.

There are about 4,500 looms of various kinds and widths in the whole trade, of which number Brussels and Wilton looms, Chenille, and Tapestry each contribute about 25 per cent., Axminster 17½ per cent., and Ingrain, hand-tufted, and sundry looms the balance.

The total number of employees in the trade before the war was 36,000, of which rather more than one-quarter were male. During the war the total was reduced to about 50 per cent.

The average annual consumption of wool may be taken as about 8,000 tons; which, estimating a fleece as about 6lb. in weight, represents the wool produced yearly by 3,000,000 sheep.

The consumption of jute was from 15,000 to 20,000 tons; of cotton about 13,000 tons; of linen 8,000 to 10,000 tons; and of coal about 100,000 tons per annum.

The export trade is an important branch, as will be seen from the following tables for 1913 and 1918, printed here by the courtesy of the Kidderminster Shuttle —