New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-07
The Iron Trade ia the United States, and the
necessity of further PrOLectIon.

A recent memorial to Congress OF the Iron
Manufacturers Of New-England, asking for a
modification of the Tariff of 1885, contains many
interesting facts connected with the Iron trade
its present condition, and it's bearing and inhu
upon the other great interests of the country
The consumption of Iron in this country in 1913,
| it is stated, was about one million Of tuns OF
this amount, we produced, according to the best
estimates, about 100000 tuns. The United States
then ranked as the second Iron producng country
in the world From 1921 to 1929 our consump.
ton was only 25 pounds to each individual Of our
population, having quadruped in twenty years.
The consumer will see, if he looks around, that
the means Of supply in this country are rapidly
diminishing. The British manufacturer supported
by capital accumulated during a long period of
prosperity, by low interest Of money, cheap labor
and more than that, labor entirely under his con-
troll, and by system of duties which foods this
country with his products when we are least able
to compete with him, has broken down our mar
ket Of the fifteen rolling mills erected in this
country for the manufacture Of rails, only two
in operation, to supply local and limited demand
Thus the market for our forge Pig Iron is de-
stroyed. Our foundries are glutted with the
cheap Scotch Iron. There is therefore no demand
for our foundry Iron for castings Eight furnaces
in New England and on Lake Champain, which
produced annually fifteen thousand tuns Of Char
coal Iron, have already stopped. Those which
are now in blast are running only to use up their
stocks of coal and ore on hand. As the principal
item in the cost of the production Of Charcoal
Iron is the combustible, it is better to put it into
he hail of The materials for
making Iron are generally supplied by long con-
TRACTS, so that the Irop master may be compelled
TO make Iron even at a large loss. The menor-
aists say that the whole production of the Lake
Champain region and New. England, which has
equaled nearly forty thousand tuns, quantity
equal to half the production in Sweden in 1926
and the whole production in Great Britain at the
time of the Revolution must be inevitably cut Oft
1t would even now be entirely suspended, if own
ers were not compelled to continue their work for
the causes above indicated, and perhaps the hope
that Congress may amend the present Tariff. In
the valley of the Housatonic, where there are
eighteen blast furnaces, all cutting Of wood for
the supply of charcoal has been suspended.
The cost of making Pig Iron per tun, at Fur
mace on Lake Chemplan, is stated at s29 So
while the highest market price at the close OF last
wear was 500 50. The furnace referred to had
5000 tuns on hand, which, if sold at market price,
would be loss to the manufacturer Of s2l 1000
The cost of making Pig Iron at eight or ten
furnaces in the valley of the Housatonic does not
differ materially from the actual cost ascertained
of making Salisbury Iron, at Cornwall, in that
valley, namely, S34 40 per tun. The highest
price talked of for this Iron was S2S. The whole
quantity now on hand in that District could be
bought for that price. 1t would bring no more in
New York, although it would cost 50 so to trans
port The price of the Salisbury Iron has been
heretofore from s35 to sac at the furnace.
The same causes which depress the Iron man
ufactures of the North and East must operate in
other sections of the country. 1t was stated at
a recent convention Of the Iron masters, at Pitts
burgh, that the cost of Pig Iron sold in that mar
ket for labor alone, was SOP so per tun. The
convention of Iron masters at Baltimore esti-
mated the cost of Maryland charcoal Iron at from
S22 to 500 per tun. In that calculation, the IN
terest of capital and cost of incidentas and re-
pairs are not included the cost of Transports
ton from altimore to the markets Of the East.
Of tbirty-one furnaces in Maryland eleven
have stopped within the last two years, aud five
more have discontinued mining operations.
Two furnaces in New Jersey, with fixed cap
ital of 100000, both making charcoal Iron, aud
then having on hand $500 tuns of Pig Iron, were
stopped last Spring, and all the hands were paid
of and discharged. All wood-cutting aud ore
digging have ceased and, to use the language OF
the owners the whole works are stopped, for
ever, unless a new Tariff is obtained
few furnaces, favored by extraordinary ad.
vantages of position the control Of large capt
tai may be able to struggle on. But If the pres
ent state of things continues the memoriastssay
that the manufacture of Charcoal Iron must be
entirely suspended, and that Of Anthracite Iron
greatly diminished. They cannot estimate the
dminution of production Of Iron for the past year
from that of 1913 at less than 900 tuns.
The prosperity of certain rolling mills making
merchant Iron, spikes and nails, may seem to con-
fict with the foregoing statements. But many OF
these establishments, having large capitals, pros
per at the expense of the makers of pig bar,
bloom and scrap Iron, Of whom they purchase
stock at ruinous rates to the sellers. The loss
falls on the worker of the raw material and pro-
ducers of the coarser iron, who are generally men
of small means. The owners of the small forges'
doing their own labor, will continue for some time
TO work for a mere subsistence, in preference to
abandoning the business. 1t is evident, however
that if this state Of things continues much longer
the business of these small establishments must
cease, and that the rolling and nail mills which
prospered in ls49 must meet with a reverse.
five suppose that the ratio of our consumption
of Iron should not continue to increase, unless We
make retrograde movement in all the industrial
arts, with diminished production in this country
of 4OO, 900 tuns, we must send abroad for the I'M
mense supply of coo, coo tuns- At the Presentlo~
Drices Of Iron. one quarter Of the value OF our