BRAD'FORD (AS. brad, broad 4- ford, ford). An important manufacturing city in theWest Rid ing of Yorkshire, England, on a tributary of the Aire, eight miles west of Leeds (Map: England, E 3). Among the notable public buildings are the Church of Saint Peter, dating from 1435, the Exchange, the Town Hall, Piece Hall, and Saint George's llall (a concert hall seating some 4000 people). Bradford has been a parliamenthry borough since 1832 and returns three members to Parliament. The city's affairs are adminis tered by a mayor, a municipal council of 64, and board of Aldermen of 21 members. The munici pal authorities, imbued with a progressive spirit. have done much to make the city a business-like and modern municipality. The city owns its own waterworks, on which it expended about $18,000, 000 to get a modern system fully equipped for the needs of the population. It also supplies with water several neighboring towns. The city maintains four stations where by means of 'de structors' the garbage is utilized for the manu facture of mortar, paving-slabs, etc. A special filtering plant receives the sewage, which is con verted into manure, the sale of which helps to reduce the city rate. The municipality has owned its gas-works since 1371. They net an nually about $100,000. Bradford was one of the first towns to municipalize the electric lighting, and has made a substantial :1111111:t1 profit there from. Among other m llll icipal institutions are public markets and slaughter-houses, public baths, two cemeteries, and a 'conditioning house' for testing the quality of raw wool and woolen goods, certificates as to their quality being is sued.
Bradford has seven parks and numerous mall recreation grounds. It has an excellent public school system, the United Yorkshire Independ ent College, a Technical College, a mechanics' institute, several public circulating libraries, and an art museum. Among its benevolent and
charitable institutions are several hospitals. in cluding one for fever patients, a blind and a deaf and-dumb asylum, and an orphan asylum. Brad ford is the chief seat in England of the spinning and weaving of worsted yarn, and the great mart for the long wools used in worsted fabrics. Cot tons are also manufactured. It manufactures silk, velvet. and plush. Bradford is the seat of a United States consulate; in 1395 its exports to the United States amounted to $3,000,000 in value; they have since decreased considerably, owing to the Dingley protective tariff. In the vicinity coal and iron are mined. and the city has several extensive iron-foundries. Bradford is on four railway lines and on the Bradford Canal. Its street railways are owned by the corporation, but are operated by private companies. with the exception of a short section of trolley line oper ated by the city. Baptists, Independents, and Wesleyans have colleges near the town. The first English temperance society was inaugurated at Bradford. The Romans seem to haveworked iron mines here. Roman coins having been found in foundry refuse near the town. The manor of Bradford, after the Conquest, was held in turn by the De Laeeys. the house of Lancaster, the Crown, and the Corporation of London. During the Civil War the citizens of Bradford sided with Parliament, and twice defended the town suc cessfully against the Royalists, but were forced to surrender to the Earl of Newcastle in 1043. Sir Titus Salt (q.v.), the founder of the famous manufacturing village near Shipley, called Sal taire, was a merchant of Bradford and at one time its mayor. Population, in 1391, 265,728; in 1901, 279,809.