Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Imports and Exports to 1908 . . .

"The outstanding feature of this table is the steady progress it shows till 1900, and the accelerated rate of that progress during the last few years. The falling off in 1890 was due to the opening of the Barry Docks, to which reference has already been made; but Penarth gradually recovered its trade, and in 1907 its exports represented 18 per cent of the total export trade of the port of Cardiff, although its dock area amounts to only about 8.4 per cent of the total dock area of that port.

Its principal export is coal, which represents about 99 per cent of the total volume of the export trade, of the dock, the remainder consisting of patent fuel, iron and ironwork, and general merchandise.

The imports, which have grown uninterruptedly since the opening of the dock, consist mainly of gas coal, for consumption by the Cardiff and other Gas Companies, wood pulp for the Ely Paper Mills, and general merchandise. These three items absorb about 95 per cent of the total import trade, and the difference consists of imports of iron and ironwork, sleepers, sundry wood, pitwood, and iron ore.

On the north side of the dock extensive wharfage accommodation, including a commodious warehouse, is provided for import trade purposes, and the hydraulic and steam cranes are so arranged that as many as five can be brought into simultaneous use on a single cargo. One of the movable cranes has a lifting capacity of 20 tons, and sheer legs and appliances are also provided which will lift up to 40 tons.

The dock enjoys a great reputation for despatch in coal shipment, and in this direction it is doubtless destined to achieve a still greater distinction."

The other major ports of South Wales handled significant levels of imports including pit wood and railway sleepers from the Baltic States, however, whilst there were small levels of imports at Penarth its advantage, which later became its disadvantage, was that it was almost exclusively a coal exporting port.