Chemical Industries in Scotland

Abstract

THE report of a committee appointed rn May 1945 by the Scottish Council on Industry (20 George Street, Edinburgh. Pp. 39. 2s.) to inquiro into the present conditions and post-war prospects of the chemicai industrios of Scotland and to recommend action to the Scottish Council is basod on a survey made in 1945-46, and its publication has boen considerably delayed. The section dealing with research has boen rewritten ; but the main recommendations and findings of the Committee remain unchanged in spite of the dolay. The Committee made no attempt to dofine a chemicai industry but limited the report to those industries covored undor the various sections of British Chemical Abstracts B, excluding, however, those soctions such as iron and steel, metallurgicai industries and fuel, which were being studiod elsewhore. Figuros quotod in the appendix show that so far as explosivos are concerned the proportion of operatives employed in Scotland is well above that calculated on a United Kingdom population basis, while in the chemicai industry in general the proportion is well below this figure. The Committee, however, has throughout taken the view that Scotland cannot ho treated as a separate entity when industrial development is under consideration. It has endeavoured to take a broad viow and believes that any expansion of chemicail industry in Scotland Vould have beneficial repercussions on the national economy of the whole of Britain. It also urges that a survey of an industry which so markedly depends on research involves consideration of the research facilities available in Scotland at present.