The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-04

Promptly on his arrival at San Diego an
interviewer on the staff of the sun got hold
of Dir. Andrew Carnegie, and that gentle
man Willingly poured forth rapturous en-
comiums on the beauty of the bay, the
delicious perfection of the climate, aud the
Incompatible elegance Of the Coronado
Hotel. All this rs, no doubt, grateful, If
trite, TO the ears OF the San Diego people.
w hat they have more practical concern in
IS the lroDmaster miilionaire's opinion on
San Diego as center for big iron smelling
So highly is he impressed with the scenic
Vaccinations Of the place that be would hesi-
tate to put blemish upon them by the
erection of ugly furnaces and hideous Chin
neys, vomiting forth smoke and loading the
atmosphere with SCOT lie at least will be
no party TO putting np furnaces for he has
enough to do at PttsbuTg. The field is,
therefore. open to others, and he wonders
why 1t has not been embraced it, as the in
terviewer informed him, iron ore, contain
Ing from 20 to % per cent of metal, can be
lad down at 50 per ton, and coke at Sl1 per
ton, aud coal at SIS per ton. 'TheSe con-
dltons, practically says Mr.. Carnegie,
will yield you a tine profit. Why doesn't
some one go ahead?" And he was all the
more emphatic on the point because ne was
assured that the raw materials can be OBJ
tanned at lower figures than those quoted
There Is no better authority on the iron
trade of this country than Mr.. Carnegie.
and we may hope that the journalist is not
mistaken In his calculations.
Once the Nicaragua Canal is completed
and general competition in traffic with the
East is secured, we shall doubtless see
numerous industries In iron aud other ma
terials arise on the Pacific Coast They are
not at present possible, ewing to high rates
for freight by land and sea. Even the fruit
industry Is kept in n state of despoDdency
and uncertainty by the difficulty of reach
ing Eastern markets at rates which will
leave reasonable margin OF profit. There
are numbers OF fruit-gr0wers who openly
say they made nothing last year. Some 90
further, and actually say they lost money
by their shipments. Making due allowance
Tor the croaking pessimism always natural
In business when man is not making as
much money as he hoped to do, there Is good
reason Tor large proportion of the COM
plants so loudly ventilated, without pro-
dueiDg any visible effect upon those who
could provide remedy.
Protests against locating at Benicia
Government gun factory ought to have little
weight If they merely 20 to the length Of
showing that iron and coal are close at hand
in the north and that the factory should be
there. Benicia is accessible by sea, and
coal and iron can be carried there as they
are carried elsewhere to such factories.
Washington has no special advantages as
site Tor gun factory, yet there weapons Of
the highest caliber may be produced, and
shot and shell are turned out in great guam
titles. London is remote from the coal and
iron fields, but Just on the fringe of il Is
Woolwich, Government arsenal employ
ing thousands OF men, and Chatham, little
lower down, at the mouth of the Midway.
has launched many heavy ironclad. As
long as secon1 shipments are not necessary
fha fsI er..t tai
crate. 1t is this which tells against ship
pers IN sending freight across the Isihmus
OF Panama. But 1t is Gisgraeeful condi-
ton OF American oversee commerce that
makes it profitable to ship freight to Liver
pool or other British ports and then to New
ork, at lower rates than to New York
direct from United States port.
There is tendency among public men 10
vaunt their own State or city and press its
interests selfishly as against the broad in
terests OF the country as whole. Ministers
OF the Gospel are no exception. The State
or city that affords them living is their
earthly paradise. So much we infer from
random utterances Of De Witt Talmaee.
He has been cut west as far as Des Moines.
and not being able to see 1000 miles farther
across the continent he thinks the West ia
blotted out and merged 10 the East 1.
matters his preference for the East to think
So. Again with regard to the Chicago ex-
hibition. He says that New York dees not
harbor Rrudge against Chicago. The
Worlds Fair was not assigned to Now
YORK, but the Empire City is generous ami
forgiving and will cordially cooperate. Be-
sides. New York will inevitably gain as a
port by the increase Of imports and passen-
ger traffic. and nearly everybod who visits
Chicago from the West will 20 thousand
miles farther east to see New York. All
this is nndiIuted paltry seifishness. What IL
New York did not gain dollar or a visit
from stranger on account of the exhibition