Chapter XI
Reading edition
STATISTICS OF THE SOAP INDUSTRY.
Until the year 1853 the amount of soap produced annually in this country was readily obtainable from the official returns collected for the purpose of levying the duty, and the following figures, taken at intervals of ten years for the half century prior to that date, show the steady development of the industry during that period:—
Year.Manufactured.Consumed.Exported.Duty per Ton.
Cwts.Cwts.Cwts.£
1801 509,980 482,140 26,790 21
1811 678,570 651,780 26,790 21
1821 875,000 839,290 35,710 28
1831 1,098,210 955,360 142,850 28
1841 1,776,790 1,517,860 258,930 14
1851 1,937,500 1,741,070 196,430 14
Since the repeal of the soap duty, the revenue from which had reached about £1,000,000 per annum, no accurate means of gauging the production exists, but it is estimated that it has nearly quadrupled during the last fifty-five years, being now some 7,000,000 or 8,000,000 cwt. per annum.
The number of soap manufacturers in the United Kingdom is nearly 300, and the amount of capital invested in the industry is roughly estimated to approach £20,000,000 sterling.
Official figures are still available for the amount and value of soap annually imported and exported to and from the United Kingdom, the returns for the last eight years being:—
Imports.
Household. Toilet. Total.[13]
Year. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value
Cwts. £ Cwts. £ Cwts. £
1900 ... ... ... ... 191,233 244,345
1901 ... ... ... ... 302,555 315,026
1902 ... ... ... ... 361,851 429,300
1903 273,542 284,376 25,749 98,032 462,959 499,407
1904 254,425 268,408 17,962 81,162 383,122 438,966
1905 274,238 279,044 19,631 98,507 473,067 500,430
1906 309,975 311,114 18,554 101,243 399,070 468,086
1907 228,035 263,965 18,244 99,432 504,710 545,385
Household and toilet soaps were not given separately prior to 1903.
The imports during the last three years for which complete figures are obtainable, came from the following sources:—
Household Soap.
1904. 1905. 1906.
£ £ £
From Netherlands 4,315 3,620 3,368
France 14,339 17,783 24,747
Italy 24,209 18,129 32,972
United States 218,740 235,612 242,294
Other Foreign Countries 6,785 3,873 7,448
Total from Foreign Countries 268,388 279,017 310,829
Total from British Possessions 20 27 285
Total 268,408 279,044 311,114
Toilet Soap.
1904. 1905. 1906.
£ £ £
From Germany 3,509 3,516 3,001
Netherlands 5,937 5,773 5,919
Belgium 1,568 1,861 3,145
France 7,120 7,633 5,794
Italy 1,176 255 1,233
United States 59,863 74,516 78,382
Other Foreign Countries 166 147 196
Total from Foreign Countries 79,339 93,701 97,670
Total from British Possessions 1,823 4,411 3,225
Total 81,162 98,112 100,895
Exports.
The exports from the United Kingdom during the past eight years have been as follows:—
Household. Toilet. Total.[14]
Year. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value.
Cwts. £ Cwts. £ Cwts. £
1900 ... ... ... ... 874,214 939,510
1901 ... ... ... ... 947,485 999,524
1902 ... ... ... ... 1,051,624 1,126,657
1903 998,995 900,814 38,372 217,928 1,057,164 1,143,661
1904 1,049,022 955,774 40,406 228,574 1,108,174 1,208,712
1905 1,167,976 1,013,837 43,837 248,425 1,230,310 1,284,727
1906 1,131,294 1,009,653 46,364 261,186 1,210,598 1,309,556
1907 1,114,624 1,095,170 50,655 280,186 1,240,805 1,459,113
Household and toilet soaps were not given separately prior to 1903.
The exports for the last three years for which complete figures are available, consisted of the following:—
Household Soap.
1904. 1905. 1906.
£ £ £
To Sweden 3,027 2,911 3,677
Norway 4,173 3,921 6,005
Netherlands 39,420 41,197 48,601
Dutch Possessions in the Indian Seas 8,586 10,293 7,746
Belgium 73,996 51,583 7,729
France 11,741 12,222 22,907
Portuguese East Africa 28,987 42,981 40,478
Canary Islands 24,763 27,864 27,579
Italy 2,842 3,187 3,962
Turkey 6,974 7,858 5,897
Egypt 12,110 9,467 12,035
China (exclusive of Hong-Kong and Macao)49,235 114,156 89,169
United States 3,885 1,975 3,924
Columbia 3,601 501 1,364
Ecuador 3,075 3,096 6,861
Chili 5,972 4,865 9,203
Brazil 35,197 28,198 31,726
Argentine Republic 7,802 8,954 13,084
Other Foreign Countries 40,058 53,914 77,687
Total to Foreign Countries 365,444 429,143 419,634
To Channel Islands 5,301 8,328 7,968
Gibraltar 13,272 13,868 12,661
British West Africa—
Gold Coast 22,598 18,513 23,423
Lagos 7,751 8,032 9,518
Nigerian Protectorate 14,942 15,299 20,951
Cape of Good Hope 158,517 143,750 136,388
Natal 74,848 71,874 46,771
British India—
Bombay (including Kurachi) 59,406 68,945 77,867
Madras 6,364 6,697 10,355
Bengal, Eastern Bengal and Assam. 26,534 23,087 22,648
Burmah 26,389 35,727 37,103
Straits Settlements and Dependencies 26,516 32,214 39,749
Hong-Kong 14,119 15,153 15,685
British West India Islands 74,069 58,881 67,331
British Guiana 12,661 12,023 11,557
Other British Possessions 47,043 52,303 50,044
Total to British Possessions 590,330 584,694 590,019
Total 955,7741,013,8371,009,653
Toilet Soap.
1904. 1905. 1906.
£ £ £
To Germany 5,051 6,322 6,620
Belgium 3,730 3,265 3,355
France 7,903 8,988 9,324
Portuguese East Africa 2,215 3,973 4,658
Egypt 2,302 3,350 3,525
China (exclusive of Hong-Kong and Macao) 3,096 3,115 3,645
Japan (including Formosa) 3,300 4,649 3,382
United States 50,043 50,668 52,124
Brazil 1,879 2,241 2,292
Other Foreign Countries 22,002 26,081 29,214
Total to Foreign Countries 101,521 112,652 118,139
To Cape of Good Hope 14,094 14,815 14,988
Natal 8,897 11,913 7,280
British India—
Bombay (including Kurachi) 24,665 24,672 28,316
Madras 4,333 5,851 6,624
Bengal, Eastern Bengal and Assam 14,129 16,021 15,969
Burmah 3,299 3,400 4,667
Straits Settlements and Dependencies 3,590 5,092 4,798
Ceylon and Dependencies 12,210 11,118 12,854
Australia—
Western Australia 1,549 1,394 1,137
South Australia, (including Northern Territory) 895 644 637
Victoria 11,989 13,614 12,774
New South Wales 3,920 4,278 4,139
Queensland 957 1,097 1,108
Tasmania 482 315 547
New Zealand 5,093 4,498 5,503
Canada 6,382 6,196 8,185
Other British Possessions 11,069 10,855 13,521
Total to British Possessions 127,053 135,773 143,047
Total 228,574 248,425 261,186
The following statistics extracted from official consular reports, etc., show the extent of the soap industry in other parts of the world.
United States.—According to the Oil, Paint and Drug Report the total production of soap in the United States during 1905, exclusive of soap products to the value of $1,437,118 made in establishments engaged primarily in the manufacture of other products, reached a value of $68,274,700, made up in the following manner:—
Quantity. Value.
Lbs. $
Hard soaps ... 56,878,486
Tallow soap 846,753,798 32,610,850
Olein soap 29,363,376 1,363,636
Foots soap 85,000,133 3,090,312
Toilet soaps, including medicated, shaving, and other special soaps 130,225,417 9,607,276
Powdered soaps, sold as such 120,624,968 4,358,682
All other soaps 143,390,957 6,097,670
Soft soap 33,613,416 667,064
Special soap articles ... 554,881
France.—This country exported common soap during 1906 to the value of £556,000, or £8,000 more than in 1905.
The chief centre of the soap industry is Marseilles, which, with about fifty soap factories, produces annually some 3,000,000 cwts.
Germany imported in 1905 soap and perfumery to the value of £3,032, that exported amounting to £15,364.
In Saxony there are eighty soap factories.
Russia.—There are fifty large soap factories in Russia, the annual output from which is about 2,250,000 cwt.
Roumania.—This country possesses about 230 small and eighteen large soap and candle factories, most of which produce only common soap, there being only one firm—in Bucharest—which makes milled soaps.
Denmark.—In this country there are some 200 small soap factories.
Australia.—According to a Board of Trade report, there were ninety-eight soap and candle factories in Australia in 1905, employing 1,568 hands, and producing 495,036 cwt. of soap.
Queensland.—In 1905 this country contained twenty-one soap and candle works, in which 142 hands were employed, and having an output valued at £86,324.
Hong-Kong.—There are about twenty-four soap factories on this island.
Japan.—A Swiss consular report states that in Japan there are now some fifty soap works, producing about 15,000,000 tablets monthly.
Fiji Islands.—These possess only one soap factory, the output from which is 9 cwt. daily.
The following table, compiled from various consular and other official returns, shows the quantity and value of soap imported into different countries and places during the years 1905-7:—
Household.Toilet.Total.
Place and Date. Quantity. Value.Quantity. Value.Quantity. Value.
Europe—
Cyprus, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £9,983
Iceland, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £6,423
Switzerland, 1906 ... ... ... ...1,702,800 kilos. ...
Turkey ... ... ... ... About 1,800,000 lb. per annum ...
Africa—
Algeria, 1906 13,609 tons£228,640 ... ... ... ...
Cape Colony, 190615,897,800 lb.£145,000 427,600 lb. ... ... ...
Gold Coast, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £23,987
Lourenço, Marques, 1906 357,638 lb. £4,293 36,000 lb. £2,195 ... ...
Natal, 19064,263,000 lb. ... 9,870 lb. ... ... ...
Orange River Colony, 1906 2,382,000 lb. £23,0001,748 lb. ... ... ...
Pemba, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £1,092
Rhodesia, 1906 257,600 lb. ...2,909 lb. ... ... ...
Southern Nigeria, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £11,990
Tangier ... ... ... ... ... £4,554
Transvaal, 1906 4,407,000 lb. £81,000 202,200 lb. ... ... ...
Tripoli, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £6,080
Tunis, 1906 ... ... ... ... 1,539 tons £23,727
Zanzibar, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £6,102
America—
Bahia, 1906 ... ... ... ... 1,031 tons 606,046 milreis
Brazil, 1906 ... ... ... ... 1,782 tons from U.K. ...
British Guiana, 1906-7 ... ... ... ... ... £13,733
Canada, 1906-7 ... ... ... ... ... $600,999
Columbia, 1906—
Cartagena ... ... ... ... 65,991 tons ...
Barranquilla ... ... ... ... 814,671 lb. $14,712
Costa Rica, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £1,269 from U.K.
Ecuador, 1904 ... ... ... ... 759,034 kilos. ...
Granada, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £3,867
Guatemala, 1906 ... £900 ... ... ... ...
Martinique, 1906 693,269 kilos. £6,955 ... ... ... ...
Mexico, 1905-6 ... £5,982 ... ... ... ...
San Domingo, 1906 ... ... ... ... 754,587 lb. ...
St. Vincent, 1905-6 ... ... ... ... ... £1,375
Surinam, 1906 ... £3,905 1,142 tons ... ... ...
Trinidad, 1906-7 ... ... ... ... ... £29,967
United States, 1905 ...$399,797 ...$1,071,446 ...$1,471,243
Asia--
Ceylon, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... 423,700 rupees
China, 1906 ... ... ... ... ...£216,042
Hangchow, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £5,888
India, 1906-7 ... ... ... ... 183,998 cwts. £215,210
Kiungchow, 1905 ... £575 ... ... ... ...
Shanghai, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £93,256
Smyrna, 1906 ... ... ... ...261 tons ...
Australasia--
Australia, 1906 ... ...891,117 lb. £65,840 ... ...
Fiji, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £1,760
New Zealand, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £36,843
Philippine Islands, 1905 ... ... ... ... ... £9,137
Exports.
Household. Toilet. Total
Place and Date Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value
Europe--
Candia, Crete, 1906 ... ... ... ... 2,200 tons. £34,000
Greece ... ... ... ... ... About 500,000 Fr. per annum.
Italy, 1907 3,992,800 kilos. £95,840 ... ... ... ...
Leghorn, 1906 ... ... ... ... 1,521 tons. £37,065
Spain, 1905 4,750,996 kilos. £98,840 ... ... ... ...
Switzerland, 1906 ... ... ... ... 77,300 kilos. ...
Africa--
Cape Colony, 1906 200 lb. ... ... ... ... ...
Natal, 190675,225 lb. ... ... ... ... ...
Seychelles, 1906 ... ... ... ...419,329 kilos. 129,590 Rs.
America--
New Orleans, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £55,534
Perambuco, 1906 ... ... ... ... 3,582 tons.1,087,797,150 rei.
United States, 190544,110,949 lb. ... ...$1,042,185 ... ...
Asia--
Japan, 1906 ... ... ... ... ... £83,877
Smyrna, 1906 ... ... ... ... 322 tons. ...