damask and heavy linen sections. Conditions in the Nottingham lace trade are said to have been even worse than they were in 1922, and the hosiery trade is also reported to have been very slack. The shipbuilding industry was seriously affected by the long continued strike of the boiler-makers. As a result the improvements looked for at the beginning of the year did not materialise, and in fact the output was the lowest recorded for thirty years. Cessation of work in the shipbuilding industry necessarily re-acts upon employment in other trades, and more particularly on iron and steel, and engineering. In Sheffield the cutlery trade has been working only a little over half-time, with a fair demand for the better class of cutlery, but little for the cheaper class which is more seriously affected by foreign competition. On the other hand, the output of saws has been good and there has been an increased demand for high class tool steel, and alloy steel for motors. There has also been an increased demand for railway springs and buffers, and generally the engineering trade has benefited by the receipt of orders from the home railways, and from the Colonies, India and China. The tinplate trade in South Wales has continued fairly busy throughout the year, as also the steel works and rolling mills which supply them. In the Midlands there has been great activity in the light motor car trade, and in the manufacture of wireless apparatus. The building trade has been busy, and this has benefited the sanitary ware and tile factories. In other branches of the pottery industry there has been a good deal of short time. With trade in such an unsettled condition, new developments have been less numerous than usual. Perhaps the most striking is the development of large electrical power stations. Important extensions have taken place in North Wales where electrical energy, generated by water power, is already being supplied in bulk to several of the coast towns, and will later be extended to other parts of North Wales and Cheshire. Another large station has just been completed at Lydney in Gloucestershire for supplying current to the Forest of Dean and Stroud neighbourhoods. Yet another large station at Barton, near Manchester, was opened during the year, which will affect not only Manchester itself, but also many outlying districts in which current has not hitherto been available. Confirmation of the all-round increase in demand for electric energy for power, lighting and other purposes is given by the Senior Electrical Inspector in the account of the work of his department, page 82. Other interesting new developments are the introduction into the Midlands of the "Schoop" process of metal coating by a finely-divided spray of molten metal; the manufacture of synthetic ammonia nitrates, new operations for purifying lead by a wet chemical process, an electrolytic process for the manufacture of carbonate of lead, and the further development of the internal combustion marine engine. Production in the manufacture of stainless steel and rustless iron has made rapid strides, and new developments in the use of the former are noted in connection with pneumatic machinery, stove grate work, golf club heads, shop fittings and turbines. Rustless iron or steel is being increasingly used in the making of water taps, bath fittings, cabin fittings, finger plates for doors, and other articles for which brass has hitherto been used, and possess the advantage over brass articles in that they do not require constant cleaning. Successful development is recorded in the making of mining tools for oil-boring, hitherto produced only in America, and marked advances have been noted in the reconstruction and extension of coke ovens and bye-product plant. Special development is referred to by several Inspectors in the production of motor car bodies and in the manufacture of piano players and pianos, and a new factory, employing 100 workers, has been opened for the production of the latter. The unfortunate effect of sustained depression in industry on the employment of young persons is mentioned by Inspectors. Employers appear reluctant to employ young workers who require training when adults are so easily obtainable; such a position is very unsatisfactory, as many young people are receiving no industrial training whatever. The number of registered factories in Great Britain has again increased. The total now stands at 139,920 as against 137,858 for 1922. Workshops declined from 145,684 to 140,850. This decrease in the number of workshops has been going on steadily for a number of years, and is largely due to the introduction of power, which immediately brings the premises under the classification of factories. Concurrently there has been, however, a steady closing up of small workshops, mostly in rural areas. Various causes are accountable for the gradual disappearance of these country industries. The process has been going on for a period of years, and has not attracted particular attention, as it is seen usually only in detail, but the reduction in persons employed in a favourable environment is, in the aggregate, very considerable. The following retirements took place from the staff during 1923-Joseph Law, 29th January; W. M. Williams, 5th March; J. E. Harston, O.B.E., 31st March; Miss E. M. Hewitt, M.B.E., M.D., 30th April; Miss K. H. Mellor, 31st May; J. Clark, 29th July; Miss H. C. Escreet, 31st December. The following new appointments were made to fill the vacancies:-A. Chalmers, 9th January; W. O. Buchanan, 10th February; R. Sutherland, 1st May; A. B. Crawford, 2nd July; P. G. Horsler, 2nd July; and W. R. Hockaday, 5th October. At the end of the year there were two vacancies, one for a woman medical inspector (in place of Miss Hewitt), and the other for a woman deputy superintending inspector (in place of Miss Escreet). (14743) A 4 There was no new legislation introduced affecting the work of the Department beyond the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, which did not become operative until 1st January of the present year. The prohibition of employment of children, which took effect from 1st January, 1921, except as regards children already employed, became completely effective on the 1st January, 1923. Eighty-seven Orders (against 97 in the previous year) under Section 2 of the Act of 1920 allowing two separate shifts to be worked during the day have been made as follows:-New Orders, 75; Orders extending previous Orders, 10; Orders amending previous Orders, 2. As regards Institution" factories and workshops under Section 5 of the Act of 1907, two Orders were made affecting two Institutions which modified the application of the Act. Three Orders were made revoking three earlier Orders affecting three Institutions, and three Orders were made revoking three earlier Orders (and cancelling schemes) affecting three Institutions. Returns of employment were received from 139 Institutions showing that there were employed therein 462 young persons under 16; 1,168 between 16 and 18; and 3,250 adults, making a total of 4,880 (of whom only 26 were males), while 503 persons were engaged in supervision of the work or in charge of the machinery. The following pamphlets and publications were issued: Messrooms and canteens in small factories and workshops: Lighting in factories and workshops: Welfare pamphlet Industrial Paints, Report of Committee; Grinding of Metals and Cleaning of Castings: Report by Manufacture and Repair of Electric Accumulators: Report Painters' Colic: how caused and how best prevented Epitheliomatous (skin) Ulceration as affecting Mule spinners: Woodworking Machinery: Safety pamphlet No. 8; Transmission Machinery: Safety pamphlet No. 1 (2nd edition). The demand for and the popularity of the various safety and welfare pamphlets issued by the Department has been well maintained. They appear to have met a very distinct want. . The following additional publications have been issued by the Industrial Fatigue Research Board : No. 21. Atmospheric conditions in cotton weaving. No. 23. Variations in efficiency in cotton weaving. No. 24. A comparison of different shift systems in the glass trade. Bye-laws under Section 15 (Factory and Workshop Act, 1901) with regard to means of escape from fire in works in which not more than 40 persons are employed, were made by three Local Authorities bringing the number of districts in which such byelaws are now in force up to 72 in Great Britain. The additional Local Authorities are Dundee, Mitcham and Newport (Mon). The work of the Medical branch is dealt with by Dr. Legge later in a more than usually interesting report covering much new ground. Mr. Ram deals with the steadily growing work of the Electrical branch, and Mr. Stevenson Taylor reports in detail on the activities of the Engineering staff. This branch continues to prove of great value and assistance to the general staff, and certain problems which presented features of more than usual difficulty have been successfully attacked by combining the services of the Medical and Engineering Inspectors. The Report on the Grinding of Metals and Cleaning of Castings by Mr. Macklin, Engineering Inspector, and Dr. E. L. Middleton, issued in 1923, and the joint Report on the Manufacture and Repair of Electric Accumulators by Mr. C. W. Price, Engineering Inspector, and Dr. J. C. Bridge are cases in point. An important report on Explosions, by Mr. Stevenson Taylor, will be found on page 92. In April the Secretary of State appointed the following Committee to enquire into the circumstances and causes of accidents in shipbuilding and shiprepairing and to report what further measures for their prevention are desirable :-Mr. Godfrey Locker-Lampson, M.P. (Chairman); Mr. John T. Batey; Sir Frederick Henderson, K.B.E.; Mr. John Hill; Mr. Hugh Laing ; Mr. F. Purdy; Mr. W. Sherwood and Mr. H. J. Wilson, Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, with Mr. A. S. Hinshelwood as Secretary. A series of important conferences were held at the Home Office for the purpose of reviewing the situation as regards accidents at docks and the best means of preventing them. The members of the conference comprised representatives of the Admiralty, the Port Authorities, Railway Companies Association, Shipping Federation, the Transport & General Workers' Union, and representatives of the Factory Department, with myself as Chairman. As the result of these conferences, the report of which has now been published, a unanimous and cordial agreement was reached both as regards a revised code of Regulations and the institution of Safety First organisations at the various ports. Conferences were also held at the Home Office in connection with horsehair disinfection; the night work of boys in Paper Mills, on "continuous" processes; at Manchester in connection with the guarding of Rubber Mixers; the provision of overhead run-ways in Cotton Weaving sheds; the application of certain of the Woodworking Machinery Regulations to Bobbin factories; at Edinburgh in connection with the fencing of dough brakes and mixers and, at Hull, in relation to the handling of heavy sacks of grain. In October I attended with Miss Constance Smith, H.M. Deputy Chief Inspector, the International Labour Conference at Geneva which discussed the General Principles for the Organisation of Factory Inspection. The Conference adopted a recommendation based mainly on the organisation of Factory Inspection in this country. I also attended the International Conference of Labour Statisticians which followed immediately after the International Labour Conference, and which discussed inter alia the classification of statistics of industrial accidents. There were no prosecutions of outstanding interest in 1923 and no cases were taken to appeal. The Government Wool Disinfecting Station, which was established in Liverpool in 1921 for the disinfection of wool and hair likely to be infected with anthrax, has continued working during 1923. Heavy supplies of material in the early part of the year necessitated the working of three shifts, but later supplies were not sufficient to keep the Station fully employed. Nevertheless, a total weight of three and a half million pounds of wool and hair was disinfected during the year, and of this nearly a quarter of a million pounds was sent voluntarily. Of the materials required to be disinfected compulsorily, East Indian goathair accounted for about one million pounds, and Egyptian wool for two and a quarter million pounds. Great improvements in the machinery and process of disinfection were made during 1923, and the maximum capacity of the Station has been increased from six million pounds per year to ten million pounds per year. Routine bacteriological examinations showed that both East Indian goathair and Egyptian wool imported during the year were highly infected with anthrax, particularly the former. I have the honour to be, Sir, obedient servant, GERALD BELLHOUSE, H.M. Chief Inspector of Factories. |