New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-04-07

l,3>3jG9 49, l1l6Gl7 ....... a.
utterly hopeless compete Will ENGLAND ia making
an thing OF which iron was the principal component
she had tue only cheIp metal ia the voeld and pig
iron ranged from SD 10 SO ton III IN"
United states. But within the Last i've years the
manufacture OF iron has received extraordinary de-
vciopmo tie United States The country Is iul oil
iron coal and limestone. In states, these thrce
articles are found on the same tract Of lanl In close
iuxtaposton The mines have late-ly been worked on
an uuprecel scale. and the consequence Is that the
price % pig iron To shipDuders has fallen 70 SIS ton
the Hnportltions Of iron have fallen OF from -Jo'op'
tons $1,000 and is to-day cheap IN tue United
States a. anywhere in the world But The great Item ot
expense in ship labor. Labor constitutes iuIy %
per cent OF the cost OF steamer, and at est % per
cont OF the cost OF sailing vessel Going back To tue
raw Materials the iron and copper Orc the coal ana the
wood II will he found that labor Is fully % per cent
OF the Of steamship; but. starting with the pE
metal ana sawed lumber. about 50 per cent Now thS
item has been cheapeneI 10 American builders IN two
ways. First they dispense with very large amount
O, il by the use Of labor-sa7ing machinery
which the English do not employ; AMI next
the price Of labor has been nearly eqnazed in tie
two hemisphere. III. Lard adilIt,sd that with the
appliances il Use in American shIpyaTds IL mi-ht ne
possible all other things being tue same for Americans
to produce cheapa ship as the English ana even pay
the men better A for copper, the prce OF That
has fallen so that the United states exports IT. an a.
for wood hardly 80 refer 10 that ct all
Now these three tAng-ae equalization OF the prices oi
LABOR the cheapenng OF materials and the creation
Of facIlt Shave made tine American builder, having
his business properly organized every inch the peer or
his brethren IN other lands. Taey nave qualed hn 10
build q snip cheap eau be constructed any where
on the planet lis ability 20 DO 50 MAY Dt recent thing
out IL is sure thing ana is eved 70 b. rcf1-
nclt thing
The mere recital Of these facts ought to throw doubt ct
the very outset upon the validity OF the claim tha
England cheapest market FOX iron sips, Never IA
any case where an American industry has been abe -
obtain materials cheap rs the foreign MUS
Try and its very nearly cheap and WueFe II mas
been enabled the machinery ard facilities 10Y
carrying on the business has been beaten by any Other
nation II respect 10 the excellence ana cepHess OF It's
products On the contrary it generally excels beeal-
tha Americans employ greater amount Of laDor-'ayns
machinery and tneir hand labor Is moEe Efficient than
the average in Europe.
AMERICAS ADVANTAGES.
Bat the reply to David Brown & Co.'s circular by No
mean, ends here. There Is much more 10 be SAID The
claim Of superiority Is not ala side. Americans
claim that they actually IN the superior posi-
ton in respect The cost OF building iron ships. II
must not be forgotten tBat large part OF ~ iron ship Is
composedof wood ana that the American m4cn'sts have
lgays made the most efficient and economical cnsiHes
in form and idea and have attracted special attention
abroad and from the orIginatlon OF the old Collins line
10 the present day and the beginning Of railroad
building their locomotives land aud sea have always
exce!c in speed and economy. Considering therefore,
the ADVANTAGES Of the United states in respect 10 wood,
iron, inventive genus and efficient labor. il is conh
IDENTITY claimed nv American builders that they
JOY superior position those Of any other country to-
the production OF efficient and economical ships There
. sOmeiL.ng practical about this claim too 10 Il not
3t all a vague generalization. There Is not a
Responsible builder III the United states Who ha- LIS
business properly organized VINO does not now say that he
al tdis time ready compete with foreign builders IN
submitting proposals for steamers and sailing vessels.
and who .oes not stand ready take contract for tie
same price In currency FOR which Responsible Jilde
will contract gold shipma-trr, ior instance, who
want. a vessel buit after the specifications II the En-
gl.h Lloyds obtain it - readily and a, a. low q
Price from John Roach at Chester Penn. and NewYOr
from the Harlan 4 Holhngsworth Company, and Pussy,
Jones & CO. OF Wilmington Del; Cramp y sons Of
Phad,i pha, and perhaps from others, get ii
on the clyde.
What the shbuyers corrobora'es this claim ofthc
American builders. To take tnc striking iiluStra-
tio, when presents Itself &C this moment reference may
De mad large steamships buit in Philadelphia
1872. each 81 300 tons burden. for the American
steamsAip line Liverpool. TAc Officers Of the Ameri-
Steamship Company say that their ships we're OBJ
tanned AZ as low price az theT coud have been hld hcy
been built on tie Clyde; and ii Is a fact well
commercial circles that those four ships just been
accorded Of insurance by tac English unde-
writers than any Tie 200 and running
coantry across the Atlantic Ocean, Two SHIPS only
excepted and those two get better rate than tn
American line Some Of the ships OF the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company considered to have been built for
a. low price that for which the class OF sells
was produced abroad at the time they built Thc
beautiful steamers which have been built of late years
for the coasng let have also been furnished rates
entirely satisfactory to their purchasers and their
ing by the insurance companies stamps them
AS among the best specimens Of marine a7ch
lecture ahost. They are always rated Al
for 20 ycars, generation, business hit-
uu.e The high standing 81 these ships important be-
cause il shows that IN order obtain economy tLeif
cost the builders put cheap materials aud poor
labor into the ships il and VIGOROUSLY done in
England but that theF have been enabled TO produce
steamers at a cost satisfactory buyers while mant1ia
ing the high character Of the vessel itself for
sailing ships, they not yet built to extent IN this
country Tor the already stated that
demand for them yet, tie preference hero being for
wooden vessels. Probably not over hall dozen OF them
have ever launched from American yards at least
II there have been there record Of fact
7e,ses at the quoted the Clyde According to
IN. circular referred above, iron sailing sip-
uroduced By ths builders OF sl3 los.
81 Der ton in gold Mr. John Roach says that within
IN. present year be- Will complete any number Of iron
sailing ships from 20 for the price in cur
rencv and deliver them the other side, provided he
In, Lbs privilege Of taking cargo In them He will
n,r.atee furthermore, that when completed they viii
ree.,. t- best ratings from European American III