DO IT ELECTRICALLY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 88, 12 January 1928, Page 7

DO IT ELECTRICALLY

Foreign Trade in Electrical Goods. Some interesting information is obtainable from the Annual Statement of the Foreign Trade of the United Kingdom, which lias just been issued in respect to the year 1926. As was known at the beginning of the year, the total electrical trade in Britain in 1926 was very much better than in 1925, despite the coal strike. Exports of rubber insulated wires and cables are most interesting on account of the large increase in trade witli Chile, and cables insulated by other products than rubber were sent in very much increased quantities to Australia. Telegraph and telephone wires and cables were sent in larger ; quantities in 1926 to Spain and Australia, whilst submarine cables were chiefly of interest on account the large increase in exports to the United States and Australia, and the' decrease in buying by Italy. Wireless goods were in increased demand in Australia and New Zealand, but purchases by Spain, Japan, and the United States were considerably less in 1926 than tn the preceding year. The total exports of electrical goods and apparatus show a large decrease in the case of Italy, but similarly large increases in the case of the United States, Argentine, and Australia. As far as electrical machinery, is concerned, Russia shows an important increase in a.c. generators, but the Netherlands, France, and Spain were only small buyers in comparison with other years, japan was well' up again after the slump, and the same remarks apply to Chile, India, and Canada; the United States, Brazil, and South Africa, however, fell away. Traction motors were in increasing demand by Portuguese East Africa, Tapan, India, and . Australia, and decreases were recorded by France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentine, and Canada. Other a.c. motors were purchased by Russia, the Netherlands, Portuguese East Africa, South Africa, and Australia, but Spain, Japan, Brazil, Bengal, Bombay, and Canada all showed smaller takings. Miscellaneous. In a lecture to Southend Ironmongers’ Assistants, Dr. C. E. Pliatt, works manager ot the Edison Swan Electric Co., Ltd., said that the annual production of lamps in England was about 45 million, of. which between 7 .and 8 million are exported. Sir William Bragg delivered a lecture at a meeting of the Yorkshire branch of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers oti “The Application of X-rays to the study of the Crystalline Structure of Minerals.” The study of the structure of crystals by means of X-rays, he said, became a possibility about 15 years ago, and it was making rapid development. He welcomed the foundation Of a department at the National Physical Laboratory which would be specially concerned in the application of X-rays to industrial problems. . "The Times’’ Berlin correspondent states that the decision of the Berlin Municipal Council to approach the Foreign Loans Control Committee for authorisation of a loan of 120,000,000 marks (£6,000,000) for “exclusively productive purposes,” especially “electric railways, tramways, electric works, etc.,” is widely criticised. The council proposes to have an intense “season” of exhibitions and other attractions in the early part-of next summer.