Importance of the plastics industry to the nation. Raw materials of the paint and varnish industry

Abstract

It ~vould be proper9 I think, first. to esplnin why t h pint and riiriiish industry is representcd nt. this niccthg. I n sonic nicnsure tlic plastics nnd p i n t iiiid vornisli indust.ries covcr siniilar ground in tlint t.licy lrotli iitilize rcsins-nntural nnd synt~Iictic--nnd pigments. Tlic rduc of t.hc pniiit nnd rnriiisli tmde is fully t,\venty million pounds sterling. It rcprcscnts considerable eiiiployincnt not only in mnnufncturc hut rilso in nppliciitioii. !rlie fibwres for the 1930 Board of Trndc census (pu~)tishcd in 1932) shoived t,hc value of goods niadc nnd work done (gross output) to be flS,m,000 and the cost of niiiteriuls eniployetl in the inc1ust.r.y ivns tlicn 20,616.Analysis of tlicsc figures .untlcr major production clnesrs showed : piiiiits and I)igiiient.s-itI,Irros. 5,500,000 cwt. of viilue i l ] i J l~O X . 113,000,000 ; viirnislies, inclritling cellulose types-nppros. 9,@00,00~ gal. of viilue ~~tppros. 13,750,000.The voluine of overseas tr:itlc iis nssesscd n t tlint time nas considerable as is slioivn by figures of l,418,0IlO cut. for csport rind 1,896,000 cwt. for retained iniliorts of paints nnd pignients ; nnd 1,290,~OO gnl. for esport itntl 132,000 p l . retnincd iniports of ritrnish products. Tlicsc figures demonstmtc tlie dominnnt posit,ion of 13ritish-iniidc varnish products in the honic innrkct and of t.lw extent to wliich t,hey arc apprccintcd nl)ronil. Since 1930 t.lic industry will h a w shown cspnnsion in nlniost ewry section.The iiioney vnluc of csports of paints, eiiiiniels, varnishes, and liicqucrs for 1934 rind 1935 Iias 1)wn est.imntccl n t 53,000,000 per aiinuiii approsinintcly.Used to IJC? flOIal!%k,OOO. The il\'Cra@ I l I l I l 1~) C~ of IJCrSOIlS PIGMENTSAs to the rnw niateriitls used, white lead in linscctl oil is still tlic yard-stick of tlic industry, unti, inclcetl, t h r c is sornct~liing unique itbout tliiit conibinat,ioa of ~iignicnt nntl vehicle wliicli has not been np~~ronchcd by ot.hcrs, certainly not in such a simple form. For onc rcnson or another the Urit,isli consumption of \vhitc lend is not quite as much as it \vns thirty yairs cigo, n t which tiinc! it nniountctl to nliout 50,000 tons a yciir, nltliougli in t,hc interim period the quiint.ity consunled liiis rcnclictl iiiucli lower lcvcls tfinn tlie present.Of t.11~ other wliitc pipicnts, zinc osidc antl lithopone urc nest in order of irnportnnce. Tlic world production of lit,hoponc ivns 360,000 tons in 1929. Since t,Iiiit. tiine production has undou1)tcdly incrcnsetl consitlcrnl~ly, iind todny English production is c n p l h of taking cnre of honic consuniption wliicli ~voulrl appear to I)c ubout 50,000 tons per nniiuiii, of wliich approsinintely 34,000 tons goes to tlic p i n t trndc. The totnl consumption of the \\-hito zinc pigments by tlic p i n t industry must be consitlcruble, but zinc osidc is rcnlly niorc economicidly iiiiportuut to rublier t h n it is to paint.Tliird in tlic wliitc pigment list riink titanium diositlc pigments with a totnl world consuniption in all forms of t.he order of 80,...