The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-22
AN OPTIllIST'S VIEW.
AN ECONOMIST ON THE FUTURE OF
OUR GREAT INDUSTRIES.


OUR GREAT INDUSTRIES.
What Plssty ef wAolesems Food sad Goo,
! Wages Do For tho Amerieaa Mechnnis
rrsneadous Advance In Exports Tend
ency Of Iron Interests.
tFrom an address by A. Z. outerbridge, Jr.
TO students OF the University OF Pennsylva
MIA rf
It is my conviction that many of oul
industries have now reached this periot
OF adolescence, or even of full vigor
and are we'll armed and prepared to ex
plorc new lands and to conquer new ter.
iritories.
Advance couriers have already been
sent Ito spy out the land. and. IL
may venture to claim any degree of
precedence Of the future, resulting from
careful study Of past industrial condi-
tions, ! would say that. with tho COM
ing Of the twentieth century. new and
greatly enlarged fields of operation will
he opened up by energetic pioneers Of
trade, who will not hesitate to hew out
new pathways for themselves. even
though many laggards may eventually
follow after at their leisure and avail
themselves of the advantages which
have thus been gained by the pluck and
toll of the pioneers
The bureau Of statistics in Washing
ton shows that exports of American
manufactures are increasing year by
year. thus proving that we are now suc-
cessfully competing in the markets of
the world with the manufactured prod
nets of cheaper labor in foreign coun-
tries.
Although complete returns for the
year 1896 are not yet available, it is
safe to estimate, from the figures fur
nished in tho past IL months, that the
total exports of manufactures for the
year will equal If they do not exceed
$3.50, 600, 900. This will be about $780,
900, 600 more than in 1896, which fig
ures were, in turn, about $25, 600, 900
more than those of 1894
Subtracting from the total those
items which do not involve elaborate
prccesses-such as petro-
leuin, copper ingots. etc.-it appears
that about 20 per cent of the value in
cludes great variety Of manufactures
in which skilled labor forms the largest
element Of cost.
These divisions include agricultural
sewing machines, typeset-
ters and typewriters, watches and
clocks, boots and shoes, locomotives and
other machinery, machine tools and
hardware, electrical supplies and scien-
tific apparatus.
1t has heretofore been maintained
and indeeNis still contended-by many
that the relatively high
wages paid to skilled labor in America,
AS compared with wages in European
countries, preclude the possibility of
successful competition, but facts are
more convincing than theories.
Within. the past few years severals
large manufacturers, thinking to avail
themselves Of cheaper labor abroad,
have established branches Of their works
in different parts Of Europe The same
equipment Of labor saving tools and, as
far as possible, the same systems Of
were employed. G
The result in each case proved sur
prise. American labor, though highly
paid, is 20 much more efficient that it
has been thus shown to he cheaper in
the end than that of poorly paid oper-
atives in Europe. Several specific in
Of this kind might be given if
space permitted. Exact limitations of
American manufactured products, in
GLIDING machine tools, have been made
in France, but they have cost more to
produce there than the imported genuine
articles cost.
1t has been contendcd that freight
rates on all heavy manufactured articles
would surely always prove prohibitive
handicap. Facts again disprove theories
Two years ago an Alabama furnace sent
an experimental shipment Of 900 tons
Of pig iron to England. This was con-
sidercd an exceptional case, I" and was
also pronounced visionary project and
derided as ridiculous in the extreme.
Within this brief period, says The
Record, the demonstra-
tion is complete.
From that experimental $50 ton
shipment this business has increased
until now there il nm actual scarcity Of
steamer room to handle the buainess
offered. Orders are being booked every
week for large shipments to England
and to continental countries. II II dim
cult to rightly measure the influence Of
this trade upon the worlds commercial
interests I"
- From recent statement by an Qf{icer
Of leading furnace. company the for
eign orders booked by that company
alone amounted to about 40, 900 toms
and inquiries under confederation be-
tween 3d. and 10000 tons. One Of
these, tho same day on which this in
formation was given, covering o, 900
tons, materialized into an order.
Pig iron has already been shipped to
Liverpool, Manchester, Rotterdam, vi
emma (seuOu Triest Voloh.u,. .,,1