The work of the British railway systems is not only then de pendent upon the relative positions of areas of production and areas of consumption but also upon the position of ports. Areas of production differ widely according to the nature of the com modity produced. Certain specialized types of machinery may all be manufactured in a single factory, from which distribution is necessary either to the home market or to ports of export for the foreign market. Another type of product, notably that of agri culture, is grown over a widely diffused area. To illustrate the work undertaken by the railways in this connection, it is note worthy that London draws her daily supply of milk from areas as far distant from herself and from one another as Norfolk, Lin colnshire, Shropshire, South Wales and Somerset. Similarly the market or consuming area may be widely diffused throughout the country, or may be one particular spot, as in the case of certain machinery required for further manufacture.
Thus, on the one hand there is the bringing together of com modities from a number of producing points scattered through the land to a single centre, and on the other hand the distribution of products from one or two manufacturing centres to a large number of places of consumption or ports. In this connection the position of the coal mining areas of Great Britain are of particular significance, for not only do coal fields directly give rise to the most important of all railway traffics, but their position has considerably influenced the whole distribution of industry, and therefore of population. The coal, coke and patent fuel exported from Great Britain and carried by the four main railway systems of Great Britain during the month of January 1925 (a month not unrepresentative of normal conditions) was shared as follows :— It will be seen from the average length of haul of the G.W.R. and L.N.E.R. that the coal fields served by these two railway sys tems, namely, the South Wales and the Northumberland and Durham areas respectively, enjoy special advantages for this traffic. The position of ports likewise is fundamentally controlled by the geographical factors which bring coast lines, estuaries, tides and rivers in suitable juxtaposition, while the distribution of population broadly coincides with the distribution of industry. No better summary of the general position is to be found than in a passage taken from Part II of the report published (1928) by a Government committee appointed in 1924, entitled Further Factors in Industrial and Commercial Efficiency, which reads as follows : "To sum up, the transport services have to provide for a population, nearly half of which is within fifteen miles of a large port, four-fifths of which is concentrated in or round towns, and more than half of which is grouped in five areas which between them comprise only one-tenth of the area of the country." Thus
in so far as Great Britain's manufacturing centres are mainly localized around her great ports, the rail haul is often a matter of a few miles only. The Midland manufacturing area near Bir mingham, as also Bradford, Leeds and Nottingham, are important exceptions to this generalization; furthermore, articles of value but of comparatively small bulk, such as the finished products of the cotton, woollen and artificial silk industries, are not necessarily exported from the port nearest at hand, but from the ports best situated as regards destination. Thus the manufactured products of the industrial North destined for Continental European mar kets find their way via Harwich, London, Dover and Southamp ton to the Continent. On the other hand, as regards imports, while wheat, sugar, tea and fruit arrive daily for distribution throughout the country, a classic example of the importation of raw material is that of raw cotton for the South Lancashire cotton industry, which, like so many other industries in Great Britain, is within easy reach of port facilities at Liverpool and Manchester.
With regard to the carriage of passengers, broadly speaking pas senger travel is undertaken either for pleasure or for business pur poses. So far as the latter is concerned there are certain out standing characteristics of modern industry which give rise to passenger travel. The distribution of the numerous branches of many large firms throughout the country, the specialization of function as between different firms, the need of constant consulta tion, the personal negotiation of important contracts, or the exhibition of his samples by the commercial traveller, are all fac tors promoting travel. But undoubtedly the chief form of travel essential to modern industry is that between the worker's home and his place of work. Notably round London, but to a lesser degree round most business and manufacturing centres, many hundreds of thousands of people travel daily by railway to and from their homes situated in suburban or rural districts. While as regards passenger travel for pleasure, there is sufficient variety both of scenery and climate within Great Britain to engender considerable travel on this account. Furthermore, the very fact of the intense concentration of population leads men and women of all classes to leave the great cities for sea-side or country-side resorts. The eastern side of England, with its drier climate, the comparatively warm south and south-west coast, the beauties of the Lake District and Scotland, each gives rise to considerable holi day traffic. Last, but not least, the Continent itself is a large source of attraction, resulting in travel to those ports facing the Continent. (G. J. P.)