Britain: An official handbook > 1966

326
Rubber
Furniture
Toys, Games
and Sports
Equipment
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Britain’s rubber manufacturing industry is the oldest in the world, dating
from 1819. Hancock, who developed the vulcanisation process in Britain,
afterwards collaborated with Macintosh, the inventor of waterproof garments,
and Dunlop in 1888 devised the pneumatic tyre. Tyres and tubes represent
more than half the total output of the industry. British firms also make a great
variety of other rubber manufactures, the most important being rubber
footwear, conveyor belting, cables, hose, and latex foam products.
The British industry is one of the largest in the world. There are 470 firms
located throughout the country, and the industry has a labour force of 131,000.
In 1964 its consumption of rubber totalled 377,000 tons, including 180,000
tons of natural rubber, 161,000 tons of synthetic rubber and 37,000 tons of
reclaimed rubber; the proportion of synthetic rubber used is increasing. There
are 14 tyre manufacturers, including several subsidiaries of United States
and other overseas companies. In 1964, 195,000 tons of rubber were used in
the production of tyres and tyre products. Tyres and tubes exported were
valued at ^25-8 million; this figure excludes large indirect exports on vehicles.
Direct exports of all rubber manufactures in 1964 were worth £48-5 million,
with Australia, Sweden and Denmark as the main markets.
London is the largest centre for furniture manufacturing, but High Wycombe,
in Buckinghamshire, is an important centre for domestic furniture.
Deliveries of domestic furniture had a value of ^145 million in 1964
and exports of furniture £12-6 million. There are some 2,400 enterprises
engaged in the manufacture of furniture in Britain (including domestic,
upholstered, office, school and other furniture) with a total labour force
of about 103,000. Many firms are small and of the 600 larger enterprises,
8 with over 1,000 employees account for 25 per cent of net output. In recent
years there has been a tendency towards increased concentration.
A Furniture Development Council was established in 1949; it undertakes
research, training and study in technical and artistic subjects and design,
provides a technical information service and publishes statistics.
There are over 500 enterprises manufacturing toys and sports equipment in
Britain, though three large firms with over 1,500 employees account for
nearly a third of net output. The total number of persons employed is about
35,000. Deliveries of toys in 1964 were worth £42-8 million and exports had a
value of j^n-S million. Australia, the United States, the German Federal
Republic and Canada were the main overseas markets. The industry estimates
that current annual expenditure in Britain on toys amounts to about £7 or £8
per child; current trends are towards increased production of small-scale
precision models of vehicles and equipment and greater use of plastics
materials; interest in construction kits is also growing.
The value of manufacturers’ sales of games was £3-8 million and
that of sports equipment ^14-4 million, of which ^4-5 million was for export.