New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-10

turcs of iron imported. Nevertheless, tho re-
norris OF the Bureau Of Statistics show that we
received G03G68 tuns Of pig iron, castings
anchors. and bar, boiler, railroad, hoop, sheet'
and scrap iron, and, in addition to that amount
some ten millions dollars worth OF machinery,
mustcts. cutlery files, and manufactures OF
iron and steel not specified. We wish The
Custom-H House officers might have found time
to weigh these articles; but, even WITHOUT .nch'
The other imports, being added 10 u'e hoiio
production of pig iron, bring the to.al up W
2,G10,509 tuns; which ia nearly lVo'ooo ."ii'
Greater than the amount used by Great britain
and ireland. Our exports and reexports OIL
iron ard lgteel and manufactures thereon arc
considerably less in value than the imports e4-
cIuded from the above calculation. The prln-
cipal articles are machinery not speciheo' nre-
orms. and manufactures Of steel not specified,
all of which have high value IN proportion
10 their weight. Thus we SEQ thar, wnho
Great Britain produces two and hall tunes
moro iron than the United States, she con-
sumes less than we do. We have omitted
from the above statement sS5,0O0,OOO worth OF
steam engines, cutlery, telegraph wire, &C.,
not included in the British exports entered 10y
weight.
The consumption of iron in tho United
States has attained to these enormous dimen-
eiors without our engaging to any extent IN
iron ship-building nm industry which has had
n pigantic growth in Great Britain. The uses
TO which iron is most extensively applied IN
this country arc the construction OF railways
and their running stock, bridges, and large
buildipes. Within a hundred miles OF THIS
City. we can count half dozen large railroad
bridges OF iron which have been finished OF
commenced within the last three years. Not
until quite recently has iron come into almost
universal use in this city for The fronts OF
stores and public buildings. Several iron ship
yards have lately been established on the
banks of the Delaware; and nothing can
blight their prospects short of some hasty and
ill-advised legislation in the interest OF So
called "Revenue Reform"
1t suits the purposes of the Free-Trade jour
nails to cry out against taxing the people for
two million tuns of American pig iron con-
sumed in this country to get revenue flcm
only the one hundred and fifty thousand tuns
imported, thus taking from tho consumer over
ten dollars for every dollar which goes into
the Federal Treasury. Not to mention tho
other falsehoods which arc involved in this
argument and which have been so many times
exposed by The TRIBUNE, it is sufficient hero
to call attention to the suppression of truth
in undertaking the amount OF foreign iron
imported. 1t is true that we import only
10000 tuns of pig iron, but we also import
100000 tuns of railroad iron, 10000 tuns Of
bar iron, and iron in O hundred other forms,
all of which operate quite as powerfully to
check the growth of our own production as
though they came in the shape of pig iron.
In tho year ending tho 31st ult, we cannot
have imported, much if any less, than 100000
tuns of iron the duty on every tun of which
ought to go into the United States Treasury.
No amount Of ciphering can convince any
man of ordinary intelligence that the people
are taxed on nine million tuns of iron when
their whole consumption of that article
amounts to less than three millions.
The statistics of the Iron and Steel Associa-
ton show q most wonderful increase in the
production since Protection has been estab-
lished as the settled policy of the Government.
In no year previous to 1864 had tho annual
amount reached 100000 tUns. In 1864, it was
1,135497 tuns; in 1865, it increased to 1,950,943
tns in 1867 to 4G 1926 tuns in 1868, to 1G12, 900
tuns, and in 1869 to 1864 tuns, or more than
double the aggregate of any year previous to
1894. The greatest increase in production has
been in iron smclted by bitIminous coal and
coke, the quantity Of which increased from
100000 tuns in 1868 to 559,9I tuns in 1862 in
dicating the growth of this industry in the
Western States. Previous to 1867, no pig iron
was made in Indiana. In that year, large
bituminous coal furnace, with a capacity of
1900 tuns per annum, and employing a capital
of $4,000, was erected in Brazil, Clay County.
In the following year. two furnaces were built,
with capacity of 1900 tuns each, with q cap
ital Of 100000, and later q third furnace Of
1900 tUns, with a capital of 100000 In
1869, fifth furnace was built in the same
locality, having capacity Of $500 tuns
and capital of $4,000, and q
sixth furnace at TeTe Haute, having
a capacity of 1900 tuns and capital of $780,
900. This is pretty good record for single
State. Within the short space of eighteen
months, Illinois Las added to her capacity for
producing pig iron at least $1,000 tuns year.
A bituminOus furnace having a capacity of 80
tuns per day, has been erected at Milwaukee.
Five furnaces have been built in Missouri
within the past year that State has now the
ability to make 800 tuns of pig iron per day.
On the other hand, the production Of anthracite
iron increased only from $4,000 tuns in 1868 TO
971,15O tuns in 1869, and Of charcoal iron from
$4,000 tuns in 1868 to 1926 tuns in 1869.
These figures are sufficient TO show, without
further detail, that the development has been
in the right direction. We would by no means
have the iron manufacture confined to Penn
sylvania and the figures show that the cayils
of the Free-Traders, to tho effect that the
West ought to demand Protection from the
aonanntitinn of tho Enst ora u,itLnut fnundn=