The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-30
BRrrArN's LAST SUPREMACY.

The Springfield Republican shows
how Great Britain has lost her suprem-
aey in the iron trade, supremacy that
she can never get back, ana the less
Of which must be ominous to her. The
Republican says:
Recent iron and steel contracts Sc
cured from Japan by American produC
ers, and recent sales of American iron
right in the midst Of England, are hay
ing the effect Of breaking down the
superior British self-assurdnce in one
direction nj least The Pan Mall Ga
2eIte Of Wednesday makes particule-
mention of this growth Of American
competition in the iron and steel indus
try, and admits that the causes which
are giving the United States such
favorable position are permanent, and
everything points to the United States
remaining the cheapest steel producing
country in the world
The demands of the English engineers
in the great strike now in force have
further drawn attention to the subject
and brought out letter to the London
Times from the editor of the London
Iron and Coal Trades Review. in which
he says:
Il know a good deal of the conditions
in Great Britain. | thought | had as
certained something of the conditions
in the United States as the result of
several visits TO that country, and OF
having had large and perhaps uneH-
celled opportunities OF seeing the prog
ress there made in manufacturing in
Clustry. But / confess I was totally
unprepared for the figures which large
American manufacturers have placed
before me as To the cost of produce
ton at their numerous and colossal es-
tablishments The cost Of producing
Isessemer pig iron in the most favor
able circumstances is now in that coun-
try 19s 10 l5s peT ton less than the cor
responding cost in Great Britain. The
difference in the cost of producing d
ton Of steel is at least as much, and in
the majority Of cases is likely to he q
good deal more. I know of cases where
the labor cost on ton Of biNetS and
rails is % 10 b per cent less than the
lowest IabSr cost I have ever heard Of
in this country. although the rate of
wages paid in America is materially
higher. Quite a number OF iron works
IN his country pay fr3m l5s TO lis Cd
per ton for coke. which in the neigh
borhood of Pittsburs Is delivered at
works for Us to 6s per ton
He thinks that the striking engineers
cannot afford 20 demand TOO much Of q
trade which seems bound to decline. as
in the ease Of the British iron and steel
industry.
That these fears are amply justified
Is. of course. to be admitted on all
hands Compelled to mine her coal and
ore At considerable distances under
ground. and possibly approaching a
partial exhaustion Of these stores of
nature. CfLcat Britain. with all her
prestige and acquired momentum in the
business, cannot long compete With q
country where immense supplies OF iron
material lie close TO the surface and
can be scored IN with huge steam
shovels and transported by water to
the location OF the coal supply, OF
where all the material necessary for
manufacturing iron is to he found lying
! in close proximity. as in the newly de-
Yeloped iron regions Of the south. Such
{ being the case. tariff for the protec-
! ton of the American iron industry, OF
! course, becomes ridiculous 1t is an
! anaehronism which can have no use az
! this time save 70 foster the growth OF
/ extortionate iron and steel trusts
or course tariff under such condi-
tons is ridiculous. but it accomplishes
lis purpose Of permitting the iron and
/ steel trusts to put the price of theil
products up higher than they other
wise could The additional price, OF
course. comes out Of the American peo-
! pie