New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-26

production Of Great Britain twenty years ago
was G.3S1 .051, or 1913 per cent Of the whole pro-
drction. the United States had taken second
place with 2301 215 tons. or 1853 per cent ana
Germany the third place with 2141.G4l tons. or
1872 per cent. But ten years ago. in 1855, Great
Britain produced 1895. 969 tons. OF $40 per cent
Of the worlds output; the United States had
reached 64s9 1873 tons. or % per cent, and Ger
many 1888 All tons 1873 per cent. But only
two years later. the very year the Mch'hie!
tariff was enacted. the United states passed
Great Britain by 100000 tons. and in ls9o the
latest year OF which there are data for the
whole world. the United States produced 94i"-
3Os tons or 1921 per cent Of the whole: Great
Britain 1.103453 tons or 26.' per cent, ana
Germany, 5,464 .5O1 tons, or 1S.o per cent For
forty years these three countries have produced
about the same proportion of the worlds entire
output 735 per cent in 1866. go in 1879, sos
in 1855. and 7S5 per cent in 1895
AMERICA IN THE LEAD.
The British output has never until last year
been greater than in 1850. and the intervening
fifteen years have witnessed two serious periods
of reverse one eliminating in 1886. with only
1909 754 tons. and the other in le92, with only
6616 $50 tons That the last year In when
the Mckinley tariff in this country was In full
and unchecked operation. AS soon as It's over
throw became certain the British manufacture
began to gain other causes materially helplng
IT, and has progressed unlnterruptedy until this
time. But the American production first passed
the British in the very year the Mckinley tariff
was enacted. and attained in 1892 lead or
$500. 900 tons. but fell in 1894 to a point little
higher than had been reached in 1883. The up
ward squirt in 1895 again gave IT lead Of
M nor oil lnst in 10
disastrous year 1896. when the British output
was gaining rapidly But last year 1t exceeded
the British production by 100000 tons and the
excess in half OF 1898 has been at the rate OF
1854. 900 tons yearly.
The extraordinary development in the pro-
duction OF pig iron has been very largely due TO
the sure and rapid increase OF the manufacture
into various forms FOR use. Nor has this de-
pended upon the foreign market. Although ex-
ports OF products OF iron have been growing FOR
many years and gained about 81 100000 from
1855 TO 1891 they were but slightly larger IN
1854. but have gained In the three years since
OVER $1SOOO0OO. When II Is considered that the
value of all iron and steel products In this
country IL not far from SGOSOOOUU, even at
current low prices the exports OF SoTOouVO
worth does not appear rs important a part or
the demand II really has been Just twenty
five years ago we imported iron products val
ued CT S51,OOO.OOO. but never since, and now
they have declined $41.O0O,OOO, while the ex-
ports have risen from S14.2OOOOO in 1898 to
*3''"ooOoO last year difference OF S4Oo-
coo In the annual balance between this and other
countries has thus been made by the develop
ment Of this one industry.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HOME MARKET
II is the dependence upon a great and grow
ing home market which has made this Industry
expand so surely and rapidly. while British
consumption in manufacture has been to large
extent dependent upon foreign markets. In 1919
Great Britain exported $40 40 tons OF finished
products Of iron and steel. valued at f22 297,3 300.
averaging about $74 ton. In 1897 Great
Britain exported 24902S9 tons of such products.
valued at f21.747, go or about S43 60 per ton.
Assuming that the remaining pig iron repre-
ssnts finished products ton for ton. averaging
NE same value ~ the products exported In