ABSTRACT
The course of industrial development before the war in Lancashire as a whole—leaving out of account for the moment the parts of the Survey area outside the county. In spite of emigration unemployment in Lancashire was high before the war, even as recorded by the Ministry of Labour's statistics. The result of Lancashire's advantages in attracting new developments, and of the efforts of the Lancashire Development Council and other local bodies, was a rate of growth of new industries very much greater than was achieved in any other depressed area. The future of the Barrow area is obscure, since it depends very largely on unsettled national factors which are little affected by Barrow's particular circumstances. The level of employment increased very much more slowly in the 'twenties and early 'thirties in the Board of Trade Survey Area than in the country as a whole.
