«  Few  are  the  countries  where  the  labourer's  activity  is
applied  to  as  various  and  as  many  branches.  There  is
hardly  any  important  industry  which  is  not  carried  on  in
Belgium.  »  Thus  wrote  Quetelet  and  Heuschlingin  their
introduction  to  the  industrial  census  of  1846.  And  such
is  still  the  general  impression  left  by  the  census  of  i8g6.
It  is  sufficient  to  point  out  that,  with  regard  to  classifica-
tion, 667  industries  and  trades  have  been  returned  while


i65


in  1846  they  nnmbercd  only  33 1.  Without  drawing  thenco
the  eonclQBion  that  336  new  industries  have  been  intro-
duced in  our  country  during  this  half  century,  it  may
nevertheless  be  inferred  from  these  figures  tJiat  belgian
production  has  become  considerably  diversified.  But
progress  has  not  stopped  there,  the  increase  of  the  import-
ance of  industry  has  not  been  less  as  we  shall  see  by  and
by  when  comparing  the  returns  of  1846  with  those  of  1896.
The  importance  of  the  various  industrial  branches  can
be  valued  by  : —

(a)  The  number  of  persons  occupied  (employers,  clerks,
workmen) ;

(fr)The  number  of  workmen  occupied  in  mines,  quarries
and  factories,  or  at  home ;

(c)  The  motive  horse-power.
The  following  table  shows  which  are,  from  this  three-
fold point  of  view,  the  most  important  groups  of  industries
of  the  kingdom.
INDUSTRIES


TOTAL
NUMBtR

OFPKRSOIIH

OCCOPIKD
(fRIMCIPALS,

LABOUHKBS)


TOTAL  NUMBER
OF  LABOUR EBS  WOBKIMG


IN  SHOPS

(not  at  home)


AT  HOME


TOTAL
NUMBER

OF  H.  P,
FOB    STBAM,

GAZ  AMD
PAHAFFINE

MOTOMS


Miucs

Quarries

Iron  works    .  ..
Ceramic

Glass  nialcing  ..
Cheiuical  worlcs.
Food  products..
Textiles

Clotliiug

Building  trades.
Woo<1  and  furni-
ture

Hides  and  leather

Tobacco

Paper

Printing  ..
Art  and  precision

■iic#llaieMi  iadiilnei.
Transportation  ,
except  State
Railwa3*B  .  ..
