Evening journal., 1897-12-04
EXPORTS OF STEEL RAILS.
UNITED STATES TO SUPPLY INDIA,
AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, CHINA, AND
OTHER COUNTRIES.

AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, CHINA, AND |
OTHER COUNTRIES.
A line Of steamers to run regularly |
between the United States and India |
will begin operation on Sunday next, |
when the steamer Sahara will sail from
Brooklyn for Alden, Bombay, Calcutta
and some other ports. Hitherto only
occasional trips by steamer have been
made between India and America. The
new line is under the management of
Bucknel Brothers, Of London, and
Norton & Sen are it's agents in New
York The Sahara, which arrived at
the Atlantic docks on Sunday last, will
carry a miscellaneous cargo, the most
notable part Of which Is a consignment
OF steel rails, Weighing LOO tons,
which were taken on at Baltimore, and
were shipped by the Maryland Steel
Company fer Calcutta.
BY inquiry among representatives in
this city OF steel-rail manufacturing
interests it is learned that the consign-
ment on the Sahara IS the first ship
ment of the second halls of 5000 tons of
rails ordered from the Maryland Steel
Company for railroad owned by the
Indian government. The name and
route of the railroad are net known
here. The rails shipped to fiji this
order are of the dOuble-headed kind
and are forty-fiye feet long, while The
standard length is only thirty feet
When the reporter inquired how
American steel rails could be transport
ed such a distance and sold at a profit
in competition with English rails, he
was told that the same question had
been asked in Parliament. The answer
was simply that an offer for bids had
been made on behalf of the railroad,
and that the bid Of the Maryland Steel
Company being more advantageous to
the purchaser than the propositions Of
the British manufacturers, it had been
accepted. The Maryland Company has
an agency inLOndOn, and il was through
this that the negotiations were con-
Quoted.
The same company now has steel
rails in this harbCr which are to be
sent to Sydney, Australia, the order be-
ing for 1000 tons. 1t has also shipped
rails this year to South Africa, and has
taken an order to send 5000 tons to
| Mexico. The Illinois Steel Company
has been sending 10000 tons Of rails to
Japan, these being shipped overland
to Seattle and thence by steamer The
Carnegie Steel Company has also taken
orders for rails to be filled in Japan
and China.
Perhaps an even more striking fea-
ture CT the American steel rail export
trade is the fact that the Maryland
Company very recently received an or
der from England for 900 tons. Thi.
is considered a small quantity in thi
trade and therefore this consignment
is not likely to excite special attention
in England. It is believed however
that any attempt Of railroad c3mpanie.
in Great Britain to buy American rail.
in large amounts would arouse herc
opposition on the part of the Britisl
steel industry, whose representative
would claim that the local railroad.
owed them an exchange Of business pa
trOnage. The opinion here is that sucl
opposition would be successful, an,
that, consequently. there is not likel
to be much undertaking cf the Eng
lish manufactures in their CWn market
The greatest obstruction to the de
! | velcpment Of our export trade, it i
said, is the high freight charges from
| shipping port to destination on bear
of vessels. The railroad freights her
: | average only about one-half as muc
. ! per mile es these in Europe, and so IA
as land transportation is concerned
this fact makes up for our much longe
| hauls
Important exports of American stee
| rails are a growth of the last year. Pre-
! | viously but small quantities were sen
) anywhere abroad, except that unde
! the reciprocity treaty a good busines
! was done with Cuba. In explanatio
of the change it is said that reduce
, | cost of production and the limited dc
= mand in this country have mad
! | American manufacturers able and will
ing to sell in foreign countries at
o low margin of profit, while in Europ
business has been good and price
!. right. The foreign manufacturers de
clare that this condition of the trade
n only sporadic and that when circum
Y stances are reversed, business bein
= poor with them and good here. the
q will regain their position as exporter
n without fear Cf American competition
4 | Nevertheless they are alleged to i
II | greatly troubled by This competition Z
e | present and to have more anxiet
t | about the future than they are willin
e to confess.
n For obvious reasons, nothing coul
e be learned as to the prices for whic
e American steel rails are sold abroal
# When the representative Of a larl
y | company was asked point-b.ank
a | American rails, with all the cost
r. transportation on long voyages adde.
" were sold in foreign countries for le.
l. money than the consumer was require
l. to pay here, he hesitated and replied
Well, l can't say exactly that bl
they are sold low enough to take M
business. New York Evening Post.