The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-19

nealJhy progress during 1878, anu Ihe
prospects for 1879 are very bright. The
rapid development OF this industry In the
United States has put us in such position
that We are now independent OF the rest OF
the world in the matter OF steel, and foreign
competition has no terrors for our makers.
Like the rcst of the iron men they are salts
fed with the present tariff and ask no
greater odds than they now have. Some OF
them even think they would not suffer were
the duties lowered, and they share the con-
viction so generally entertained in England
that the United States will never again be
valuable customer for the British manufac-
turers Of BEssEMER steel. The perfection OF
our steel furnaces has lately won favorable
mention in Germany, where the steel manu-
facturers are clamoring for u protective
duty, which, 1t seems likely, they will not
fail to get, for they have Prince BISMARCK
ou their side. DR.. WADDING, a well-known
German statistcian, has ascertained that
Prussia is so far behind the United states
in steel making that while the latter, with
twenty-five converters, produced In 1875
over 975,5l7 tons Of steel, the former, with
thirty-five converters in operation, only pro-
duced 24,501 tons. showing a production
nearly double in our favor: and he as
cribes our greater turnout entirely to tho
superior mechanical appliances possessed
by our works. In 1877 we manufactured
Of steel inRots 56O, 5s7 net tons, and OF BESSIE
MER rails, 432 1863 tons. In 1878 the product
was about 100000 net tons OF ingots and
100000 tons OF rails This is very hand
some gain, and 10 iustiies the checrfulness
which prevails among the manufacturers Of
steel. Putting the iron and steel rail pro-
duction OF the year together, the total
amounts to 100000 tons, a total only once
exceeded In our history, and that in the year
1872, when the product reached mil
lion. Even that immense manufacture
will probably be equalled, II not exceeded.
in 1879.
The last year, on the whole so encouraging
for the future OF our iron industry, was one
of great disaster for that of Germany, and
the present movement for protection In that
empire largely springs from its misfortuncs,
which have been accommodating since 1875.
or thirty-two companies, whose united capt.
tai amounted to $7s,OoO,OOO, only six paid
any dividend whatever for the year 1876,
and the aggregate accounts showed a loss
OF nearly S2,OO0,O0O on that capital against
u
1876 things have been going from bad
to worse, and now, in the words Of
writer In the London Times, the iron trade
I'm Germany Is in state worse unqucs-
tionably, than that OF any other coun-
try" The famous kRUPP works at Essen,
the largest in the world. employing two
years ago 1850 workmen In the factory and
| 5000 more In the mines and blast furnaces,
| have suffered heavily, while between April,
1873, and April. 1871 the number OF workmen
employed by twenty-five OF the principal
from 27,7OO to 1i,G00
By vote Of the Reichstag on the 18th OF
December 1875, all the duties ON iron enter
ing Germany expired Jan. /, 1877, and since
then II has been the only European country,
except Sweden and Norway, that has ad-
mitted free Of duty the products Of English
mills and FORCES, and they have poured in
| in quantities The German founders are dis
satisfied with this safe Of things. and with
| Prince BISMARCK as their powerful ally they
| are working for protective tariff, which,
the prospects are, they will assuredly get.
Meantime the British Iron Trade Assoca-
tion is doing its best, through Lord SAILS
BURY, TO defeat their efforts, but with little
hope Of success. How much Great Britain
would lose by the imposition OF protective
duties on iron 10y Germany is shown by the
statistics of her exports Of iron TO that coun-
try in 1877. That year Scotland sent her
l27 .955 tons OF pig iron, and England 2OO, 900
tons, while OF English steel rails Germany
took 81 365 tons.