, 1875-02-12
IRON AND STEEL.
Arnnnl Meeting OF tho American
Associations.
Report Of the Secretary Setting Forth
the Condition Of the Industry.
Tho Worldwide Depression and tic
Cause OF It.
Government Aid to Transconlfnentll Railroads
Urged.

o., ~. T., ,,,,
oo'e''''''e" A'u " !4'"sse''"e''4' MANS
ur0ca'
----
sn..fo, n..no,., IL 7rb+ r,,,ooe 4,,,pn..
prr, .1>r,n,,,, y, F.h 11.-T,,n ANNA,
r,ooitry ~ ,,o A,,or,.,n Iron and Stent Assoc;a
linn sxaa rail- sn.,1av, samuel 7. Rocvoa rrcsi.
dent IN cnarpc. rio annual re,,ort Of ,l,o soere-
torv. 1,mea N.schonk was prc,.ntcd which in a
lcnr,hlr apcuu,rnt.
r,,r prrnEss1oy GENERAL.
II ata,ca that tho dccliuein thu dcu
maud fur iron when commenced in 1879
has continued during 1874 and With
tho decline iu tito demand there Inns Gu.
sued resulting fall in PRICES in nl! tho rrincira
iron-prodncing countries. LosB iron Inns btou
made in 1874 thnu was made in either
1872 or 1878. Tho reaction in 1874
laa been as Eolletal a,iu decided ns tho ADVANCE
IN 1877 was unexpected and bewildoring, It has
been felt moro soyoro}y III tho Uuitcd States,
hut in tic United Kingdom and in Frauce
anl Germany the iron industry has
been 80 mucl, depressed ell shro,,I,
tho year that n,any iron-wolks have hecu closed
aud mauy otcl,rs havo been omplorsd only h pstt
of tho time. In tic United Kingdom tho 1eprcs-
aion was Very marked at tho close Of the
year, and In eome branches Of tho
trade did not differ in degrco from tho
general depression tten e1iatiug in our Owl,
country. Tho Interruptinn to tho prosperity Of
the irnn industry iu tue United States las hcen
caused mainly by tho partial closing to
that industry Of the United States mar
kcs, but tho spirit Of speculation and
oycrtraGing which wrought suc!. disastrous
consequences In tllis country at tic close Of 1879
WAS not wholly wanting in other countries
which wero large consumers of British iron, nntl
| with tho Bubsilcnco vi this spirit in these
countries decreased demand for british "a woil
! as domestic iron las resulted.
CONDITION or Tl1E nrstNrss.
On tho 1st Of January tlta Association dc1-
nitsly aBcortainnl tic situation uf tho COG COM
plotted furnaces Of tho country to bo As follows:
III blast, 400; out of blagt, 2GG. On tho
Same date it naccrtaiued that more
/ than oue-balf of Tho rail-n11s Of
the country were wholly idle. wl,ile otl,era wcro
running only mart of the .imo, At tl1o cloBo Of
April tue Association agair asccrtaincd tho
condition Of ftlo dctuestic i,on-tradu
as follows: Few railroads vere in tho
py neeeplaolo p1set' consequently o"s lew
contracts "c'a nauo' ana thcy mostly Tor smaEl
lots, which were urgently needed. Ralls had
fallen to go. hut tho railroads, as rule, wcro
| adr.,,,co orfcred t,,m nurr, ,,o 1n,,,.,,
! aosah1as' o"e.ea t,. the". ''nrlhs sne month
pas-fci' at lltthourG was quoted ut oSl
] cents, Tut sales were made ut oTen u alowor figure
than thu. At Nav York, pl,,a.lelpbia aud othrr
lral;r,r ,ror ,nor1,ota tbora waro fov ao1,. -,
.""s "".a 'uA A.1'' S''fe "es' 10" sa'as ot
oa' no''' "au ''oS ~
stnny mills shut down entirely in this month
rather than run at loss. Iii pis.Iron the
n,o1,h va. ono of oc;,ed ,,e,;o rio ,,as. .sas
farno =. aa s,, at ,s s lux. tno 0sss gay
@ al and No. fsnn.s ~ Il rhassrhs FL dol ees sest
Lchieh, ut $50, on inns. Durin, tho en,n1nor @
md autumn or 1874 Tho ;ron h,ainc.. III, ~
tn,n.a,o ~, +,,o ~ =, Ms,os,s. ~ ~. ,. 'oS
nHces haartl from tltaro we're 5s2 III blast. and 2o6
ont OF blast, or u per cont in, aud 43 out, show
ing larger number ont OF blast l,au in. January
or Anyt}
MEETINGS HELD.
November and December meetings o, pie iron
manufacturers wnro held in Philadelphia to do
viso mcanB by which production might bo still
further reduced. Large atockH Of charcoal aud
other mir iroo ucro t,ta, ,,,..l1 j.,
Tin hn,,i}s ri f,,rnncc,nuu aua ,,,;n ~
nucnts. In Dcconhcr nyrrv rni1,,,I
1T TIttsb1rg snsncude,l opol .tions n 10
ruddiiur f,frfnccs hecanao If tho raf1"s, ~ ~
puddlcrs to accent q reduction OF wages. but.
nye, II ,he rro,,nseI rn1uct;ou Int aa., .,aos
ed il IS eertan ia. soo DeG s Wad
hsyn susneujeJ 1urinr thu w1utcr bnc.nsoo "o','
scarcely of osdoTs 1t tho e'o.o ae9 of tho yoar 70
Of creatcr irnrossinn thaI, f,nd a1,atoi ~ n,,
Tina fines Tia heginnine NJ thu nsnic ~ T'a T9
Quantity OF 1,Ic iron On hand and nnsnja t-as as
os ma inns ~ chnrco,1 ,na co,o r,,ar, n..
In ~ douht I'm, tha "A1 N0so 1"sAo eon
A0 4' rxrrsa,yr 1,,ponr,r,,x,
NJ ;ro, anil sfcci n 1a71 onl 1S5i .,,x....,.,.
e,r,,r , ,,1 ar, H. T., nid n.',a 49, ass!oEh9'ee
srvrr,jcs ~ tn ,,nn,s ndca, S1aaay t.a e Ihe
},cin tn rto1nrn thc' n.ui. 'nvs ;t.oia n.a nos ~,
rt,,tt,nv t9so tthn nonrNot p'a1u ,ts. "1eI, ny
}rnn ana n,,u,na 1,"u,. VII t',1.,r loFe,ga
rn,i,,, II ~ t,a ,,nt I,,,ar.aI sses W. nnu
~ tS,a n,r,o,tio. w. anu ~ .os .as 10 areey
WnuiJ lora h"c, nn ,,to,'t,a f ren!a' ,n' tnosa
c,,ar.o tnt .1. carntrv H. SUI: LUZ tao ansuia
duca5 IN ren ison ,o IL to1,n,s;n fua1s lro-
ia rot.tiyn s.na1nt ri ru,, .d - itoa sdoMh
'''0 ~ ,c.o w @1" o'eo' 'A'4'ottoo'