The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-26
TOO MUCH FOR AMERICA.
Africa Is Too Good a Customer 10 Suit
English Nations.

English Nations.
Intelligence of S outh Africa received at
New York dwelt upon fresh outbreak Of
opposition in London TO the alleged
Americanizing of the Rand-as the great
min ing ridge is called by the wealthy
mine owners, who, IL Is said. have been
placing orders for machinery in the Unit
ed states instead of in England. Ii was
said further in the news dispatches that
directors of the English machinery COM
panies were also directors in the Ameri-
can companies.
The news draws attention to the very
intimate relations that have existed for
the last half dozen years between the
United States and the African continent
in a business way, relations which came
into being naturally, but were unobserv-
ed by the mercantile communities of the
world generally until it was found that
the Yankees had practical monopoly of
important branches OF trade In the rich
and growing contries down there.
Until about the year 1890, 1t is said, not
much business was done by American
manufacturers or other makers of min
ing machinery with South Africa. Then,
however, mining on large scale, or on
the American plan," as 1t has been
called, began. Instead OF small work
or placer mining, wealthy men and syndi-
Gates put up sufficient capital TO open
and equip a mine and work it on the
principles of big business enterprise
from the start.
While mining In all localities begins
with surface work, here in America there
had been so much of it, of almost all
kinds, for years, that conditions had
changed until the big mine owners, when
they decided 10 open a mine, Immediately
capitalized the company so that it could
begin business with all facilities and
without debt.
When mining took squirt in Africa,
about six years ago, the men interested
determined to work in the way which
had been in vogue i'm this country with
so nots BILE success. The English capital,
which I'm many cases was the strength of
the enterprise, employed American skill
and experience. Most of the engineers in
the new country were and are Americans
or Britisbers. who, as agents of home
capital, had got their mining experience
IN this country, and consequently were
fsmiliar with American machinery, and
naturally, In ordering, ordered hat they
knew about. American mining machin-
cry and apparatus were and are, moreover,
at the head of the list. In no other coun-
try had machinists and engineers the OPP
portunities for development during 25
years that had been offered in the United
Elsewhere, for instance, for particu-
lar mine, perhaps, drill or some me-
chanisin bau been made and found to work
well, but when tried on another mine ii
would not answer satisfactorily. In
America were almost all kinds of mines,
and American manufacturers were in inn
mediate intercourse with the mines, not
separated 10y oceans, 20 that they were
able to see, the needs of the miners and
the operations OF the various imple nents.
Besides this there was, of course, pow
erful factor, the intense Yankee desire
to be abreast and ahead OF the times in
sill things and the Yankee pre-emin eac ced
in mechanical invention.
The rock drill Is an American inven-
tion, and il was most necessary TO Africa
where most of the mining is at deep lev
els, in hard rock.
so American manufacturers received the
orders for the mining machinery, ana
great quantities of 1t were shipped. 1t
used ali to go via London, that is to say,
ty way of English ports, for there were
no ships sailing from here to the African
mines. For the last three years, how
ever, the business from this port has in
creased SO that now one steamer and
sometimes two a month sail direct for Az
RIGA; incidentally, IL may be said that to-
day they carry about everything that is
made i'm the United States, so varied is
the market there for our goods.
The word that the outcry il against the
"Americanizing" (active) Of the Rand Is
hardly correct, manufacturers say, i'm so
far as regards the big business over
there, America having had il from the
start. Small work, OF course, was done
before that and purct ases were made
elsewhere, but when the big work began
IL was done, as matter OF course, with
the machinery OF the people who had
shown what could be done on large
scale.
Within two years, however, so many
eyes have been turned on Africa that
there has been good deal Of competi-
tion. The English and Germans and
other nations have sought to cell there.
and while IL IL said that oil OF the q
lants are American machinery, Ii is az,
mitteu that foe the last Is months there
has been more OF a division OF business.
In some lines the English not only equal
the Americans, but sell more OF their
manufactures than Americans do OF ours.
In a general way IL may be said that for
the specific mining machinery, Africa
comes TO America, while for her general
machinery England Is called on, For in
stance, although tle rock drills are Amer
lean. wherever there Is a rock drill there
Is a boiler, and the boiler usually comes
from England.
Another American speciality is the air
compressor. snd most of those are supplied
by the United state. Although pipe n
n common product of Ill countries, and
England makes good pipe, for the past
couple O. years American piue has been
the accepted standard. One maker said he
thought that In the pipe market We