Rafael,
>>Were the mining regions able to industrialize or were they just
>>producers of inputs for other's regions industries?
>
A correction to what I said earlier regarding the South Wales coalfield.
Was Wales Industrialised?, (publ. Gomer Press, Llandysul, 1995) - the
author, John Williams, is an economic history, and an emminent one too.
Where I got the idea he was a journalist, I don't know. Having refreshed my
memory, I note that he provides some interesting statistics for Wales. With
the proportion of those employed in the manufacturing sector remaining
virtually static between 1851 and 1911, at around 23 percent, there was an
explosive increase in mining employment (essentially coal mining in South
Wales, as lead and zinc in mid Wales was in decline) which meant the economy
remained firmly in the primary sector. In 1851 prime production accounted
for 52 percent of those in employment. By 1911 those in primary production
were still 44 percent despite dwindling argicultural employment and a
substantial rise in those employed in the service sector (including
transport). Employment in metal manufacturing, including iron and non
ferrous smelting, and engineering remained static at less than 10 percent.
By 1911-13 the vast majority of the coal produced in South Wales was
exported from the region. Only a small portion was used as raw material in
local manufacturing processes. All of which does suggest that South Wales
was primarily feeding industrial production in other regions.
Peter
______________________________________________
Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, Rosebush, Clynderwen,
Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599
University of Exeter - Department of History
School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
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