Catalogue description Board of Trade: Industries and Manufactures Department: Correspondence and Papers

Up to BT 64/85 and 1944 the list is arranged chronologically.

From piece BT 64/86 to 4135, the list is divided into many subject subseries. These subseries are arranged by the former references assigned to the files by the relevant department.

Unique item references for files in this series were created by using the former references.

The establishment of this department in 1918 represented a major move by the Board into the promotion and assistance of home, as distinct from overseas, trade. It was responsible for helping industry with the problems facing it during reconstruction. It had to watch the general movement of trade and industry, and to direct the attention of both government and manufacturers to weaknesses and shortcomings, and to frame and consider schemes submitted to it for promoting and safeguarding British industry.

In 1919 the Board took over responsibility for optical instruments glassware and potash from the Ministry of Munitions and formed a Scientific Instruments, Glassware and Productions Section, which was fully absorbed into the department in 1923. In 1920 it took over responsibility for the Standards Department. In 1922 it took over gas and water power responsibilities, together with all the remaining functions, including economic intelligence, of the Power Transport and Economic Department, when that department was dissolved. Its water power functions, and responsibility for the Standards Department, passed to the new General Department in 1928. It took over administration of merchandise marks from the General Department in 1934, and reassumed responsibility for the Standards Department in 1936. In 1932 it absorbed the office staff and functions of the Chief Industrial Advisor, and became, jointly with the Ministry of Labour, responsible for the Depressed Areas until 1945.

It was also responsible for administering various Acts of Parliament relating to Industry and Manufacturing. These included the Flax Companies (Financial Assistance) Act, 1918, the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Act 1920, and the various Cinematograph Films Acts.

During the Second World War the department expanded greatly to administer many of the wartime controls, including clothes rationing and the Utility scheme. Responsibility of electrical supplies was transferred to the Board from the Ministry of Transport in September 1941, but passed to the Ministry of Fuel and Power in June 1942.

A separate Industrial Supplies Department was created in November 1939 to take on work previously done by the Industries and Manufactures Department, including the supply of materials for home needs and for export, industrial priorities and import licensing. This new department was wound up in January 1945, its functions being divided between a new Priorities division, and the Engineering division of the Industries and Manufactures Department. In December 1945 primary responsibility for engineering passed to the Ministry of Supply and Ministry of Aircraft Production, and the Industries and Manufactures Department remained responsible only for general questions of policy in this field.

A separate Tourist Catering and Holiday Services division, established in June 1946 when the Board became responsible for those services, was absorbed into the department in December 1947.

The Ministry of Supply’s Raw Materials Department was transferred to the Board in April 1946 with its functions, except for control over iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and engineering. In 1950 it was absorbed into the Industries and Manufactures Department, expect that production and supply of timbers passed to the Forestry Commission. In 1951 the raw materials functions were taken over by a new Ministry of Materials, but returned in August 1954 when that Ministry was abolished. In July 1955 responsibility for iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and engineering was transferred to the department from the Ministry of Supply, though iron and steel passed to the Ministry of Fuel and Power in January 1957.

At this stage the department had, apart from its more specific functions, very wide responsibility for industrial policy and administrative matters common to more than one of the production departments, for the long-term efficiency of industry, industrial organisation, finance and taxation, research, co-ordination of work arising from reports of industrial working parties, and the standardisation of manufactured products. After 1964 its functions increasingly passed to the new Ministry of Technology, computers and machine tools in 1965, mechanical and electrical engineering industries in 1966, and the remainder of the principal manufacturing industries in 1969, when the department ceased to exist. Its functions relating to consumer protection, the Trade Descriptions Act and hire purchase passed to a General Industrial Division, and those for Tourism and Films to separate Tourism and Films branches.