The electric power required for the tramways and the illumination of Rome is solely supplied by turbines situated at Tivoli, and that is the case elsewhere, and the harnessing of this water-power is capable of very considerable extension. The trade is mainly developed in Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria; to some extent also in Campania, Venetia and Tuscany, and to a less extent in Lazio (Rome), Apulia, Emilia, the Marches, Umbria, the Abruzzi and Sicily. Lombardy (particularly Como, Milan and Bergamo), Piedmont and Venetia are the chief silk-producing areas. Industrial Progress.-The industrial progress of Italy has been nice since 1880. Many articles formerly imported are actually made at dwelling, and some Italian manufactures have begun to compete in international markets. Mineral springs are very quite a few, and of great variety. The lagoon fisheries are additionally of great importance, more especially these of Comacchio, the lagoon of Orbetello and the Mare Piccolo at Taranto &c. Anchovy and sardine fishing (the products of that are reckoned among the final complete) are also of appreciable significance, particularly along the Ligurian and Tuscan coasts. The deep-sea fishing boats in 1902 numbered 1368, with a total tonnage of 16,149; 100 of these were coral-fishing boats and 111 sponge-fishing boats.
The Sciacca reefs have been again closed for three winters by a decree of 1904. The fishing is essentially carried on by boats from Torre del Greco, in the Gulf of Naples, the place the most effective coral beds at the moment are exhausted. Fishing and trawling are carried on chiefly off the Italian (especially Ligurian), Austrian and Tunisian coasts; coral is discovered principally close to Sardinia and Sicily, and sponges nearly completely off Sicily and Tunisia in the neighbourhood of Sfax. Coral fishing, which fell off between 1889 and 1892 on account of the momentary closing of the Sciacca coral reefs has tremendously decreased since 1884, when the fisheries produced 643 tons, whereas in 1902 they only produced 225 tons. Italy, estimated in 1890 to be £2,200,000, is now, on account of the event of the export trade, calculated to be almost £4,000,000. An indication of industrial development is to be discovered in the rising number of manufacturing firms, both Italian and overseas. The chief development has taken place in mechanical industries, though it has additionally been marked in metallurgy. Handlooms and small spinning establishments have, in the silk business, given place to massive institutions with steam looms. The worth of the annual produce of the varied branches of the cotton industry, which in 1885 was calculated to be £7,200,000, was in 1900, however the fall in prices, about £12,000,000.
Italy has solely unimportant lignite and anthracite mines, however water power is ample and has been largely applied to industry, especially in generating electricity. The chief minerals are sulphur, within the manufacturing of which Italy holds considered one of the first places, iron, zinc, lead; these, and, to a smaller extent, copper of an inferior quality, manganese and antimony, are successfully mined. There are a number of public assay workplaces in Italy for silk; the first on this planet was established in Turin in 1750. The cotton trade has also quickly developed. While importation of uncooked cotton increases importations of cotton thread and of cotton stuffs have quickly decreased. The value has, nevertheless, undoubtedly diminished, though the variety of boats and crews increases. The worth of the output had, however, by 1902 risen to £1,600,000, representing a tonnage of about 10,000,000. There is nice travertine beneath Tivoli and elsewhere in Italy; the best granite is discovered at Baveno. Boracic acid is chiefly discovered near Volterra, where there can also be slightly rock salt, however the principle supply is obtained by evaporation. The primary fisheries are in Sardinia, Sicily and Elba. A authorities weaving school was established in Naples in 1906. As within the case of cotton, Italian woollen fabrics are conquering the home market in rising diploma.