It is impossible within the limits of this article to specify the different kinds of articles manufactured in London. It contains the largest breweries, distilleries and sugar refineries in the kingdom; was long the principal seat of silk weaving; has extensive manufactures in metal, including machinery- of all kinds, plate jewelry, watches and brass works, and an enormous production of books and prints. Millinery, the making of clothes and of boots and shoes are also extensive branches of industry. Besides these, there are cabinet making, coopering, coach building, rope making, leather working, hat ship building, mast making, etc., all of which are departments of manufacture conducted on a large scale; and there are numerous extensive chemical works, soap manufactories and dye works. It is not generally known that London is a very large manufacturing centre.
Commerce, Docks, For customs purposes the port of London may be said to extend from Teddington Lock to the sea, a distance of 70 miles. Up till within recent years the upper section was under the care of the corporation of the city for sanitary pur poses, under the Thames Conservancy for navigation and under all sorts of other au thorities for various other purposes, London enjoying the unenviable distinction of being probably the worst-managed port in the world. In 1908 a drastic reform was effected, under which the various and conflicting division of powers was abolished, and the Port of London Authority created to administer everything concerning the port. It consists of a chair man and vice-chairman and 10 nominated and 18 elective members, who are chosen by various persons and bodies representative of the trade of the port. Under its enlightened manage ment London is rapidly becoming one of the most up-to-date ports in the kingdom.
Until the beginning of the 19th century there were no wet docks in the port of London, and ships were loaded or discharged in the river or at wharves. The West India docks, the first to he constructed, were opened in 1802. The docks, some of which are of great extent, are surrounded by wharves, sheds, store houses, vaults and warehouses of the most spacious kind. Saint Katherine's docks, Lon don docks, the West India docks, the East India docks and the Millwall docks (in the Isle of Dogs) extend along the north side of the river from the Tower to Blackwall; and on the south side, between Rotherhithe and Dept ford, are the extensive Surrey Commercial docks (350 acres), forming one compact sys tem of water basins, extending from the port to Limehouse Reach. The Blackwall tunnel blocks the channel to the upper docks for large vessels, and steamers are compelled to dis charge at from 10 to 20 miles below London Bridge. The dock accommodation of the port was greatly increased by the construction of the Victoria and Albert docks (opened re spectively in 1855 and 1880), which follow next in order on the north side of the river (op posite Woolwich), which, with extensions, will have a combined water area of 252 acres. Be sides these, there are the splendid docks at Tilbury, on the Essex shore opposite Graves end, 22 miles by river from the Tower, con structed for the purpose of admitting the lar gest vessels at any state of the tide. Here the docks have an area of 90 acres, with two large graving docks. The total water area of the London docks is 645 acres. From London Bridge to Blackwall Tunnel the channel is from 450 to 500 feet, wide and 14 feet deep at low water; from Blackwall Tunnel to the Royal Albert dock it is from 500 to 600 feet wide and from 16 to 20 feet deep; from the Royal Albert dock to Crayfordness 600 feet wide and 30 feet deep, and from Crayfordness to the Nore it is 1,000 feet wide and 30 feet deep. The vessels registered at the port in 1914 numbered 3,313, with an aggregate ton nage of 2,513,588 tons.
London is the greatest importing and dis tributing centre in the kingdom, holding as regards imports a position analogous to that held by Liverpool in exports. For East and
West India goods, London is the great port; tea, sugar, tobacco, wine, corn, timber, tallow, hides, wool and drugs form large items. Value of imports in 1913, 1253,879A9; exports (of United Kingdom), f99,104,682 (of foreign and colonial goods), £58,808,178. The revenue of the Port of London Authority for the year ending 31 March 1915 was #3,738,795, and ex penditure £3,550,987.
Administration.— Greater London has a representation of 62 members in the House of Commons. London is governed by the county council with the city corporation and 28 metropolitan boroughs administering local matters. The most ancient civic officer of London is the lord-mayor of the city of Lon don. He is annually elected from among the aldermen who have been sheriffs of the city, on 29 September, and installed in office on 9 November, when a procession takes place, called the lord-mayor's show. The court of aldermen consists of 26 members, including the lord-mayor. They are chosen for life by the taxpayers of the wards. There are 27 wards. One alderman is elected for each of 24 wards, one for 2 wards, and one serves (is not elected) for a nominal ward. They are prop erly the subordinate governors of their re spective wards, under the jurisdiction of the lord-mayor, and preside over the business in the courts of Wardmote. The civic sheriffs, two in number, are annually chosen by the livery or ;general assembly of the freemen of London. The common council is a court con sisting of 206 representatives returned by 26 of the wards in proportion to their relative extent; the 27th, or Bridge Ward Without, be ing represented by an alderman. The general business of this court is to legislate for the internal government of the city, its police, reve nue, etc. The recorder is generally a barrister of eminence, appointed for life by the lord mayor and aldermen as principal assistant and adviser to the civic magistracy and one of the justices 01 oyer and terminer. The °livery* of London is the aggregate of the members of the several city companies, of which there are 75. Of these 12 are termed great companies, and from one or other of them the lord-mayor was formerly chosen. In order of precedence they are: The Mercers, Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Goldsmiths, Skinners, Merchant Tailors, Haberdashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintners, Clothworkers. Many of the companies are very rich and possess large halls. Besides the ancient city of London there are under the act of 1899 the 28 metropolitan boroughs, al ready enumerated, each of which for local pur poses is governed by a mayor, aldermen and council. The county council consists of the chairman of the council, 19 aldermen and 118 councillors, the latter being elected by the tax payers of the several divisions, which are, however, not coincident with the boroughs. Other London authorities are 31 boards of guardians, dealing principally with poor re lief ; four boards of school district managers and two boards of sick asylum district man agers, appointed from among their own num ber by the guardians of those unions which are combined into districts; the metropolitan asylum board, partly elected by the guardians and partly nominated by the local government board and whose chief duty is provision for infectious sick and harmless insane; the cen tral (unemployed) body and 29 distress com mittees, for the provision for distress from lack of employment, the latter appointed by the city of London corporation and the metro politan borough councils, the former (with the exception of eight members) appointed by the London county council, the distress com mittees and the local government board; the metropolitan water board, appointed by the London county council and the local authori ties in the area supplied by the board. The cost of administration of city and county is about f18,000,000 annually. Assessed valua tion, 1915-16, #45,384,722.