New-York tribune., 1898-10-17
AFRICAN ENERGY ABROAD.
.,>trpCIAL TRAVELLERS IN ENGLISH
sTRONGHOLDS OF THE IRON
TRADE-THE CONSULAR
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
Birmingham. October {.

49,. Months ago in q letter from Newcastle
"a 7 CAV. Illustrations Of the effect Of
.,.on competition In the iron and steel
~. citing a series Of municipal contracts.
- Town Councillors are practical economists,
u.ban municipal work is To he done insist
c. nonorirg the lowest responsible bids.
80 PROVINCIAL cities have been In the market
&c year with undertakings FOR the extension
:, ,,o water gas and tramway services. for
,,,roduction of electric traction. and for
- enlargement Of facilities for electric Light
- md other schemes of municipal improve
~, 4, considerable portion OF the plant for
.,osa works has been supplied from foreign
,rtries. and Americans have had their share
=, ,he business Early in the year TIE engineer
, s,~ke was held accountable for the de-
..urs = British competition; but American
,Idsors have continued to take municipal work
swav from English manufacturers although
.,o, disastrous labor revolt came to end
eight months ago
ono Of the recent instances OF the superior
,o,r,ie, Of American manufacturers for sup
living iron manufactures for municipal work
=. found al Hastings. The Town Council in
r,ss rroposals for 2oS5 tons OF water-pipe OF
,G.,nch. 1o-inch and irregular sizes. An Ameri-
-, tender Of S10359 was accepted. The lowest
glasgow manufacturers Of iron pipe we're beat
=, hy Is or IL shillngs ton. The contract
,s no; a large one. but it emphasizes the IN
,rsssing importance % American competltloh
.n q country which enjoyed for long period
,,d,snutad supremacy in the iron and steel
trade.
Another illustration Of the revi,a or the
American export trade in iron and steel man
ufsctures is found in the invasion Of Birming-
ham. Sheffield and other centres of the Engish
DO, trade hv commercial travellers and mer-
,sntile agents from the United States. Witnin
,sl, an hour after my arrival at the Grand
Hotel I heard the music Of my native heath
the genuine Yankee twang delivered IN hisn
,sv straight from the nose; and before knew
tIwas softly whistling Yankee Doodle. HAN
q dozen American commercial travellers were IN
The hotel and the Consul subsequently IN
formed me that they were constantly coming
and going and were displaying energy ana IN
tenigence in competing i'm many lines OF N
6ps,rv IN this great stronghold Of English iron
,,enufacturing Indeed there are American
-octories IN Rirmingham and a considerable
force Of American wor&mcn is employed IN
them in making tools and machinery.
The material for municipal contracts which
American firms have been recently supplying
consists mainly Of steel rails for streetcar ser
vice. water pipes and electriC-cars and machln-
cry In general trade the American iron ana
steel manufactures which are making mead
way in the English market are cycles, tubes
sewing machines. telegraph instruments, cleo
tric mechanism Of every kind and wire nalis.
and the list of new entries includes many other
articles The force Of this competition Is al
ready felt by many industries In Birmingham
and when manufacturers and merchants ma
that American statesmen are steadily coming
into the town and placing orders with ability
and energy and underselling the trade here
they are impressed with the fact that a new
battle has begun with a formidable commercial
competitor.
TIE trade journals are constantly sounding a
warning against American inroads into the Eng
lsh iron trade. Here is a statistical summary
which is now quoted by many English journals:
Ten years ago the exports Of iron and steel
from the United States We're ST. 7I63,O34. and
the imports SIS Q92 151. The exports are now
so 367. .j27 while the imports have shrunk to
sl2615913" Comparisons OF this kind have,
however less effect upon the merchants and
manufacturers of birmingham than the pracu-
cal evidence offered by the presence of COM
mercial travellers and agents from the United
States that the Americans have gone into for
eign trade. not for the temporary purpose or
dspOsing Of surplus stocks. but in order to hold
permanent possession OF a new market In
these circumstances. magnanmity and altruism
are requisite when these solid men of Birming-
ham are called upon TO subscribe to Mr.. Cham
berlain's doctrine of the Anglo-American COM
nunity Of interests.
Protests are. indeed, heard. not against the
era ~ International good feeling, but against the
systematic neglect of precautions for Safeguard
ing British manufacturers against competition
from America Letters are constantly appear
hg in the Birmingham press from manuiact-
urers who are suffering from the effects OF
American enterprise. Cyclemakers complain
that English roads now filled with foreign
machines when a duty of 20 per cent would
have saved the home trade. with the millions in
vested in it, One manufacturer, who has lost
bis American trade entirely in consequence OF a
duty Of ~ per cent in the United States. as
serts that the English market is flooded with
surplus foreign stocks, and that Americans are
copying the most salable goods produced here
and bringing them in at prices which bring rum
upon invested interests. deprive thousands OF
workmen II employment and cut down their
wages. The American" remarks TINS as
conterted manufacturer. leaves us the theories
to dream about. and goes on prospecting and
getting the trade ours is Free TRADE with a
Vengeance but ii wants the word silly before
It TO admit blndly everything free, whether
II Is for our good not"
Protests like these supported by the EVIL
cence Of the consular returns. which disclose
declining export trade with America. Fully
onehaf Of what remains is kept in place 10y
Virtue Of trademarks On long-established manu-
'actures. Birmiogtam anvi's, for example are
sod in the American market and cannot pe
displaced; ana steel pens and tips and other
Manufactures arI fancy goods with well-known
uademarks are exported on a large scale
Birmingham trade with the United States in
creased while the Wilson tariff was in opera
uon. but has materially declined since the Ding
ley tariff went into sC-rt. Manufacturers com