The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-06
THE FUTURE OF
OUR INDUSTRIES.
Some facts of Interest Taken from an Address Re-
Gently Delivered Before the Students of the
University of Pennsylvania by A. e. OUTER
bridge, jr

The existing condition and future
prospects of manufacturing industries
in this country present interesting
problems for study to the student, the
statesman, the manufactures and the
wage Garner. 1t is evident, even to the
clsual observer, that many industries
which have proved profitable in the
past have been over-stimulated; i'm
proved facilities for manufacturing
have outstripped the capacity for home
consumption. Competition has lowered
prices, wages have fallen, produc-
ton has been curtailed (more especial
1y during the past three years), and
hardships have resulted therefrom.
Further curtailment of production, or
else enlargement of markets, must
prove the solution in the near future
of this important economic problem,
and the key to the situation may, per-
haps be found in the recent reports of
the bureau of statistics in Washington.
These statistics show that exports
of American manufactures are increas-
ing year by year. thus proving that we
are now successfully competing in the
markets of the world with the man
ufactured products of cheaper labor In
foreign countries. Although complete
returns for the year 1896 are not yet
available. it is safe to estimate, from
the figures furnished in the past eleven
months, that the total exports of man
ufactures for the year will equal, if
they do not exceed, $3.50 0OOO. This
will be about $4,000, 600 more than in
1895, which figures were, in turn, about
$4,000, 600 more than those of 1894. Sub
tracing from the total those items
4. ,l....,r, -. al,
ical processes (such as petroleum, cop
per ingots. etc), it appears that about
20 per cent. OF the value includes a
great variety of manufactures in which
skilled labor forms the largest element
of cost. These divisions include: Agri-
cultural implements, sewing machines,
typesetters and typewriters, watches
and clocks, boots and shoes, locomo-
tives, and other machinery, machine
tools and hardware, electrical supplies
and scientific apparatus.
It has heretofore been maintained
and indeed is still contended-by
many manufacturers, that the relative
ly high wages paid to skilled labor in
America, as compared with wages in
European countries, preclude the pos
Bbilty of successful competition, but
facts are more convincing than theo-
ries. Within the past few years sew
eral large manufacturers thinking to
avail themselves of cheaper labor
abroad, have established branches of
their works in different parts of Eu-
rope; the same equipment of labor
saving tools and, as far as possible,
the same systems of management were
employed The result in each case
proved surprise. American labor
though highly paid, is so much more
efficient that it has been thus shown
to be cheaper in the end than that of
poorly paid operatives in Europe. Sew
eral specific instances of this kind
might be given if space permitted. Ex-
act limitations of American manufac-
tured products, including machine
tools, have been made in France, but
they have cost more to produce there
than the imported genuine articles
cost.
1t has been contended that freight
rates on all heavy manufactured arti.
cles would surely always prove a pro.
hibitive handicap. Facts again dis.
prove theories. Two years ago an Ala.
bama furnace sent an experimental
shipment Oh EOU IONS OF Dig IRON lC
England. This was considered an "ex.
ceptional case" and was also pro.
nounced a visionary project and de"id
ed as ridiculous in the extreme. With
in the brief period says the Manufac
turers' Record. the demonstration i!
complete. From that experimental
250-ton shipment this business has IT..
creased, until now there is an actua
scarcity of steamer room to handle tn,
business offered. orders are beine
booked every week for large shipment
to England and to Continental coun
tries. 1t is difficult to rightly measur
the influence of this trade upon th
worlds commercial interests" From
recent statement by an officer of
leading furnace company, the foreigl
orders booked by that company alon
amounted to about 10000 tons, and in
qu:ries under consideration Detweel
10000 and 10000 tons. One of these, tn
same day or which this information
was given, covering 5000 tons, mate
rialized into an order. Pig iron ha
already been shipped to Liverpoo
Manchester, Rotterdam, Vienna, Ge
noa. Trieste Yokohama and elsewher
abroad These are facts not yet gen
orally known
Crude pig iron stands near the bot
tom of the list of articles involving
high degree of skilled labor. America
watches, on the other hand, head tn
list Yet they are exported in con
stantly increasing quantities to a
parts of the world, Very recently tn
American consul at Bradford, England
reported as follows: "One Bradfor
firm of jewelers. alone has a stock {
10000 Waltham watches. In addition
has watches of the Elgin and othe
makes, and sells large numbers
American files, made by machiner.
according to the testimony of Consl
'/