The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-19

recent issue Of the London Ssstist
contains the following article. II has Gre
ated universal comment:
Perhaps the most important economic
question of our sirne Is connected with sha
Development OF the iron and steel indus
tries az the United States and the prob
able consequence OF that development
not only on the coGratc Industries Of
Europe. but also en- the whole maritime
relations of the commercial world In the
palmy days o< the proud wooden clip
perss' the Americans had the bulk at the
transatlantic carrying trade and the best
o. the carrying trade between Grsat Brit
am and China and Australia Their wood
en- vessels were not only things Of beau
". but were, with national ingenuity con-
ssructed so as TO combine high speed
with the largest possible cargo capacity.
and with every possible contr1vance for
saving labor We are. indeed. apt to for
get that America once divided with us
the worlds carrying trade II. indeed. for
a time she did not have the lions share.
IL Is only since the age of iron that she
has lost that position: though she need
not have lost 1t had not the fiscal policy
that has developed since the civil war pre-.
vented. her both from importing material
whercwsth to build ships at u profit and
also from buying ships from foreigners.
except under practically prohihltive con-
disions. And now We IRE face to face
with two monentous facts that presage q
revolution In the worlds shipping and
formidable competitor with Great Britain
as the worlds common carrier. These
facts are Cd that the people Of the United
States have now become impatient OF
their sitting navigation laws. and arc
craving for national merchant navy:
and CO that now, for the first time In
their history tsince the decline OF wooden
shlnsl. are the Americans able TO pro-
duce shipping material on a level with
Great Britain.
II is probable that congress will soon
revive. IL not repeal. the navigation laws
Leaving however, the nscal aspects OF
the question for the present, We propose
10 take a rapid view OF America ~ an
actual iron and steel producer and as q
prospective builder of high 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 tho
production OF pig IRON Their furnaces
are much larger than ours. and their
proportion OF obsolete types must be small
indeed. compared with the number Of an
tique examples we have still standing In
England. Scotland and Wales. Al any
rate. their existing furnaces are computed
to have a capacity OF over q million tons
per IHuHtH. nc 3&tO8t RIV00(QOA IkA8
not yet reached that capacity. and there
is, of course no limit but that Of capital
to the number of new furnaces which may
yet be built. Can such enormous guam
titles be produced as cheaply ~ In Brit
ain? The truth seems to be that In the
more favcrably situated. works OF the
United States. and with the more econom-
ically worked furnaces (which are three
or four times the size Of oursl. tho prime
.fax L. h~tx tAak s<1
either scotland. Cleveland, or Cumberland
In the respective qualities. This il point
on which we must speak with some DIM
dence, as it is a matter for Industrial ex-
perts, and we by no means accept the
shipments Of American pigs to England
as evidence of profitable business. But
experienced iron manufacturers with
whom we have conversed have expressed
their belief that the Southern states Of
America. and those OF the Northern states
that are within easy reach of the lake
ore. can certainly smelt pigs more cheap
" than we can. 1t n enough II they can
do il as cheaply when we pass to the
next stage OF competition.
And in all stages the Americans have
the advantage OF cheaper fuel. Barring
india, American coal is row the cheapest
In the world, and on the average IL to the
industrial consumer fully ID per ton
Scotland and Wales. This - an advanf-
age OF course. that tells at every stage
OF manufacture. 1t is also q noteworthy
fact that waGes in the American iron
industry have been materially reduced Of
late years, while the producing capacity
has also increased. The eight-hcur move-
ment IL unknown In the states, and the
continuity OF energy II one of the great
factors in American Industrial develop
ment. To take one example: At tho
PENNSYLVANIA blast furnaces. in I'D. the
wage cost WAS about Ton per ton OF pig
iron. nv fses the wage cost was reduced
70 Is. and now IL has been pretty gen.
orally reduced to about y per ton. Again,
the average annual output per efnpioye
was. in fSso. 1910 tons. II Is now about $50
tons These facts speak for themselves,
and those who rur can read their signin-
canoe. Now, take another fact in reia-
ton 10 the American iron industry. Tn
III within recent years that industry prac-
tlrafiv depended on the development OF
the railway systems Of the states. When
railway building was slack. the iron In
dustry was depressed, and vice versa But