The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-26
THE IRON TRADE.
Its Chances and Changes England :
supremacY Conc Forever.
London Iron and Coal Trades Review.

London Iron and Coal Trades Review
The proverb that X IS always the I'M
expected that happens applies with force
and truth to a good many OF the orNiin-
airy experiences Of life. but Il is perhaps
more applicable 10 the course of events
in the iron and steel industries than to
any other circumstances wirnin the range
of common knowledge. The reInar kabie
changes taht have occurred in this in
duStry during the last few years have
marked IL down as one OF the darkest OF
dark horses. The changes that are now
in progress will probably similarly distin
gutSn the future. No one would have
been likely 10 ina CINE ten years ago that
rhe United States would have taken the
leading place as an iron and coal produc-
Ing country. and have lost both again
within very short period of time: that
Germany would have almost come abreast
of our own country as an iron producing
na;icu; that England would have been
almost shut out OF her own colonies and
dependencies by foreign competition that
the iron trade Of Great Britain generally
would be threatened with decay or q hun
dred other things that have happened in
the interval. These things. however. are
by no means alone in their operation.
The soc&alistic forces that have been az
work in most Of the leading countries of
the world and In none so prominently as
in our own. almost threaten to give US
more trouble In the future than we have
had in the past. while the neutraliZing in
tiuence due 10 the progress OF invention
and the development o. industrial pro-
cesses has not as yet shown any s.gn OF
staying its course.
The most notable feature OF the recent
course of the iron industry has been the
Increase OF production and the cheaper
ing OF cost or the former II needs not
that We should say much. The United
States alone increased their production of
Pig iron by 100 per cent. between 1880 and
1890. although within the same interval
they only added - per cent. 70 their poQu-
laticn 30 per cent. to their production Of
wheat and corn, and 70 per cent. TO their
railway mileage. In Germany the output
% iron within the same interval has been
almost equally large. Other continanatl
countries have made notable progress
during this period. but more especially
Spain and Russia. while England has re-
manned almost stationary, with an oc-
casional retrocessfou. The consumption
81 iron kept pace with the production up
up 20 certain point. and considerably ex-
ceeJe-i the relative increase or population.
bTt the question that lies before as at
present is more especially mat OF how
far the cheapening OF production Is likely
- affe,t the course Of demand IN tt1e
future or the extent OF this cheapecing
some notable examples were given IN
recent address delivered before the Amegi-
can Faundfymen's Association. II ap-
pears that the cost OF fuel per ton OF pig
iron produced at tne works Of the Thomas
Iron COMPANY, IN the United States, fell
from slaG7 in ls5a 30 81 IN lS92- The cost
% ore per ton OF pig iron produced al the
Same works fell from a maximum OF
si49i 20 a minimum Of S.4, the cost Of
hrnestrne from maximum 81 sl-S9 10
minimum Of 80 cents, and the
cost ~ labor per ton Of pig
iron from maximum OF Ss.tS
70 q minimum Of SEED Such a series
OF changes may truly ne regarded as
revolutionary. They have been almost
matched IN our own cc1neTy. - We con-
f,are 1873 with 1855 bu; n Ia hardly likely
rhat w shall soon witness a repetition
OF the maximum and minimum OF those
notable years
II the United states and IN most other
countries there IS tendency 20 keep
prices DOWN 10 an even loSer f1otuT than
t~rv have hi-hevro stood af- the re-
sources OF production ara 80 enormous
rhzt We are hardly likely 20 see any grea
afVnrre % prices Whether on the An1er1-
can or on rhe Europaan continents. an
sssva0ce cg few shiH.ngs per ton would
lead ~ an enormous expansion OF me en-
moved zslanf. wfth Its consequent rear
rksn ard Generalization: 50 That ~ the
whole. e. 8 perhaps Just as well mat We
shaaId for along quietly, II We can only
ss1ee.a in maintaining present prrces
VIA a reduced cost Of manufacture