The sun., 1899-02-12
AMERICAN rnoN STEEL AND SHIPS.
A Glowing Prophecy by the Foremost of
EnRliAh Einnnclnl Pnblicntiohs.

tlon OF our time IL connected with the devel-
opment of the iron and steel industries OF the
United States and the probable consequences
OF that development not only on the cognate
| Industries OF Europe. but also on the whole
maritime relations OF the commercial world
| In the palmy DAYS Of the proud wooden clip
| pers." the Americans had the bulk OF the
transatlantic carrying trade and the best OF
| the carrying trale between Great Britain and
| China and Australia. Their wooden vessels
| were not only things Of beauty. but were. with
national ingenuity. constructed so as to com
| bine high speed with the largest possible car
| 20 capacity. and with every possil lie contriv-
| forget thar America once divided with us the
| worlds CARVING trade, IT,. indeed. f9r a time
since the age OF iron that she has lost that pa;
| sititn: though she need not have lost ii had
bs tY t9 sea oGy sh To 2s So Smfe
| ing material wherewith TO build ships at
profit. and also from buying ships from for
| conditions. And nov we are face To face with
| two momcntous facts that presage reyolu
| tton in the world shlpning and aIormidahle
competitor with Great Britain MS the worlds
common carrier These facts are ~ that the
impatient OF their sitting navigation laws. and
| are, craving for a national merchnnt navy;
tory tory snce "IG the ID decline cir Of 9 Wooden Se ships
| are the Americans able 10 produce shipping
material on level with Great Britain.
1t is probable thai Congress will soon revise.
| II not repeal, the navigation laws Leaving.
| however, the fiscal aspects OF the question for
| OF America as an actual iron aud steel producer
| and us a prospective builder OF hgh-class
| modern iron and steel vessels. In the first
| place we have to note that the States have not
| yet reached their maximum power in the pro-
G9eton of pig iron The furnaces are N m4Gh
solete types must lie small indeed. compared
| with the number, OF antique examples we have
| still standing IN England. Scotland and Wales.
| AT any rate. their existing furnaces are com
| ppted to have a cnuacity Of over million tons
| per month. The actual production has not vet
| reached that capacity. and there is of course.
| no limit but that OF cnDital to the number OF
new furnaces which may vet he built Can
| such enormous quantities be produced as
| cheaply as in Britain? The truth seems to.be.
TINT in the more favornbIy situated works of
| the United States. and with the more econom-
| icallv worked furnaces which are three or
| four mes the size Of onrsI. the prime cost Of
| American pigs is below that of either Scotland.
Cleveland. or Cumberland in the RESPECTIVE
qualities, This is a ,uoint on which we must
| industrial eNperts. and we 10y no means accept
| the shipments of American pigs to England
perienced iron ,manufacturers with whom we
| have conyerSed have expressed their belief
thaf the N9I,hern STATES q America and those
reach OF the lake ore. can certainly smelt Digs
more more cheaplIy than we can; 1t is enough If
| DeHt stage Of competition.
And in all stages the, Americans have the
advantage Of cheaper fuel. Barring India.
| American coal is now the cheapest in the
| world and on the average is 10 the Industrial
average in England. Scotland and Wales. t" This
| Is an advantage. OF course: that tells at every
ae thnt % wae9s in he
| have been materially reduced Of late years.
while the producing CAPACITY has also in
| known, in the States and the continuity Of
| energy j., one of the great factors in American
| ample: At the PENNSYLVANIA blast furnaces.
! IN 1850, the wage cost was about los per ton
| duGed to is. and now 1t has been pretty gen.
orally reduced to about IS. per ton. Again.
the aye ayerage gs annual OUTPUT per emrloy,ec was,
These facts speak, for themselves. and those
who run can read their signiiran2e. Now,
take another TACT in relation 70 the American
| iron industry. Until within recent wears that
industry prarticalIy aependod on The develop
ment of the railway systems Of the States.
| When railway building was stack. the iron in
late years. while railway building has shrunk
| 10 nsgnincamt proportious. thc nrodUrtion
| OF all kinds of iron and steel has enormously
increased Look at the following figures:
Ss$. E$%''oa Gss GG:y% ys,c rs%'S% s"g $i!i f."
5:s :s$ }I$%S $SS s.ffsis, sS%s%:osa 900
OF course, this, means that producers of
american iron and steel have found new and
dustrles than railway building
inc one e outlet sta ra mHy TOW be aceourd the max
TO, British India. Russian Asia the Trans
Siberian line. the West Indies, Nova, ,Scoria
the Two two nrGGst steel rail- COMPANIES are fad
half q million tons. the larger proportion OF
| which was for eXport. Nor is this surprising.
constantly expanding conpetitonj have been
coming down as they hafe been going up in
| rails n the I'pitnI
britain; In lS% the current, prices we're 50
| md "a rs. I'D. in Great Britain. The redpc-
ti2n ton in -, AmercH ; !, not not due to compe.ition
| 1t is. Of course. the reduced cost OF lro1uc-
eign markets that she never had before. The
| surplus OF many American manufacturers
| lieve the home markets, But the business
now being done hv Americans in iron oud steel
cannot he regarded as Of the "dumrtng" char.
ucter. They are cultlvatlng an export tTdc.
and with such success that in the year ending
| June 80 last the exports of raw and mnnuluc
tured'iron and steel amounted TO Sin.;Hj7.i2T.
AS i against S2Iin7,Ht2 in ths s- Ersyions year:
iron 232552 tons OF railway iron. ~ ~, tons
OF iron wire. 30. 800 tons o: scrap iron, 81. .pSj
t}Rs is of atrpctura ron r an! lhID tmns OF steel
sorts sent to Great britain was 10000 tons.
and nearly, all the rest ~, sent to countrrs
|
nine months ending Sept. 80 the exports Of
| hteel rails amounted 70 222,oI5 tons. valued at
| 81. i.+iG.OS1. These figures cumpaie wlth ~
| 513 tons and Sl.Sn.I24 in the CORES ponding
I'9rti. ' = 10 Of lst1, and win, 3D,s4l tom, and
| The largest buyers Of the incroilscd quaint.
| ty have been Canada ana Japau aud IL is we'll
| 10 remember that 1t was stated IN Parliament
| last session that the lowest tenders Tor rails
| Tor the supply Of tie In lian railways were
| American, As t. Jaran, which used to get all
her rails from, us, We not" the following in a
huecial report by MI Lyon, United States Con-
sui AT llioEo: In 1885 the United States nX-
| Ported 10 japan only "A little mare than one.
| sixth as much railway iron as England did
| but in lSiI 4 very notable Increase took place
| from the United States IN such shirmentS. and
expectations from ia" two countries stood
| thus Great britain. $4,000 | nI.ed States.
| Sj25OS3. Al this rate another year viii show
| she united States 10 have left its rpU.Ielitor IN
| this, export lar behind That mny or may
| not be: hui the enormous advantage IOsscsSed
| hy the nitcd States in the coming markC for
| railway iron in China Is an important factor in
| the DEVELOPMENT OF production now iukIIg
| place. That development has gone on to steel
| ship plates, which are now being SHIPPED to
| l.I.. t.. .nl,t, al.