The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-17
ANDREW CARNEGlE'S VIEWS.
Would Dispose Of His Armor Plant. as II
Does Not Pay.


Does Not Pay.
Mr. Andrew Carnegie, who is now
in Paris, was interviewed recently at
the Langham hotel by Herald CORE
spondent He said:
lyon have just come as was read
ing The Iron AEGEAN editorial on the
tin industry. Five years ago many Of
the leading American newspapers were
sure that America would never make
tin plate. Now find that plants are
already in operation, and we shall be
able to supply our wants, which exceed
those of any other nation-viz, 1000,
900 boxes year. This is marvellous
and is probably the most rapid extern
sion of business ever known. In five
more years the United States will be
exporting tin plate The improvements
which American makers have made in
the process have been adopted in Wales.
Here, also, see in the highest au-
thority ON the subject, The Coal and
Iron Trades Review, that the cost of
making bessemer pig iron in England is
on the average 60 los Cd, or $l2.50
ton Well, similar pig is made in
Pittsburg at 50. 90 a ton Our great diff
| ficulty in America is exporting it and
the deficiency OF regular lines OF ship
ping Here Great Britain has the add
vantage.
"What would you recommend as
remedy?'
ITO follow the example Of Germany,
which has now established regular
lines to Australia, China and India.
This is made possible by the Ger
man government paying liberal mail
subsidies. OF course the government
gains in having number of vessels
capable of being turned into destructive
agents on the sea in case OF war | be-
lieve that 81, 600 spent in this manner
for possible cruisers is worth more than
$1,000 spent upon ships built exclu-
sively for war Z"
"There was rumor last summer that
| your firm was going to sell out to for
eign government so far as armor plate
was concerned. Is that correct?"
THAT depends upon the United
States government. We didn t seek to
go into the armor plate business. We
were pressed to go into 1.-THE United
States government had ships waiting on
the stocks We declined to make armor
plate several times Then General Ira
cy, former secretary of the navy, wired
me when / was i'll Europe that it was
our duty to see the government out OF
the difficulty In that light | accepted
the work 1t never paid us. How could
it? 1t can't be made to pay, because the
government only orders about 2,O0C
tons year, and to erect the plant costs
$3, 500, 900 to run only four months in
the year. Besides, employing experts,
whom we cannot let go for whole
year, means losing money
"We want to sell our plant to thu
United States government and have Of
fered it at cost or at valuation, and WI
also offered to teach the United States
government officers how to make tn,
best armor plate in the world for moth
ing. We would do anything to get on
Of this armor plate business 1t costs u
more anxiety than the whole of on
business put together. The compan,
makes l6l, 900 tons of steel month
but its average make Of armor plat
does not exceed 200 tons a month.
"If the United States will not TAX
over the plant, will you sell to foreigl
government
"In that case we should dispose of |
J to the best advantage and get out OF tn
J affair at the least loss possible. w
} should have no difficulty in re-erectinl
} the plant abroad. New York Herald