The evening times., 1900-10-13
THE IRON AND STEEL TRADE.
a commereiaI monograph by the

Treasury Hureau of Statistics.
The Treasury Bureau of Statistics has
just issued q Commercial monograph on
the iron and steel trade of the United
States. treating Of the resources OF this
industry, its development, and its rela-
tions TO the domestic and foreign markets.
In this document the progress of the iron
and steel trade is illustrated by maps and
diagrams showing the distribution of iron
ores in Europe and North America the
comparative development in the produc-
tion of pigiron by countries since 1873, the
growth Of the steel output OF the several
leading nations. the change in the rela-
tlon OF iron and steel exports and i'm
ports. and the course OF prices for pig
iron and steel rails in the United States.
The United States Is now the world s
greatest producer of iron and steel and
coal, as well as OF copper. cotton, bread
stuHs, provisions, and many other arti-
cles entering into the daily requirements
of man.
In a comparative survey OF the worlds
IRON ore situation, the remarkable fact is
brought cut that the United States in
ls99 produced 80 per cent of the worlds
ore, or 25.000.00 tons out of a total of
S5.OOo.OO0 tons. in round numbers. This
quantity IS somewhat less than the COM
bined ore output of both Great Britain and
Germany including Luxemburg, which
produced respectively IT per cent and 81
per cent OF the worlds ore supply. This
alone gives the United States the leader
ship among the worlds great ore produc-
ers; out this fact must be taken in con-
neetion with coal production on which the
iron industry depends and of which this
country produces 80 per cent Of the worlds
output. while Great Britain priduces so
per cent and Germany 19 per cent. With
primacy IN coal and iron ore the position
OF the United States Is one of undisputed
and permanent aseendancy in her control
OF the raw materials of iron and steel pro-
duction. This primaey in raw materials
gives the United States self sufiictng po-
sition. as compared with that Of her fore
most rivals-Germany and Great Britain.
While the Dortmund, Germany, furnaces
have TO go to northern Sweden for iron ores
and the furnaces Of Cleveland (Engiand).
have to get their ores from northern and
southern Spain, the United States is far
freer to locate her iron and steel indus
tries with direct regard to the conditions
OF maximum economy in the accumulation
OF raw materials and the distribution of
the finished products. Therefore, as coke
has displaced coal, the tendency the world
over is for the furnace TO leave the col
liery and move toward the ore mines.
country are gradually being drawn around
the southern shores of Lake Erie within
easy access of the vast ore deposits OF the
Lake Superior mines. The preponderance
OF this single source OF ore production is
apparent from the fact that the Lake Su
perior region furnished T3 per cent of the
25. .00G. 600 tons of ore consumed by our
furnaces in 1899. while the Southern States
furnished 10 per cent and the Eastern
States but per cent. One of the most
wonderful developments in modern trade
IS that of the ore-handIlng facilities from
the Lake Superior mines to the furnaces
OF Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The growth Of the steel industry is next
taken up, and the transition from the iron
TO the steel age Is indicatd by the substi-
tuition of steel rails for iron rails in rail-
way building. Here again the United
States holds the primacy, because of her
producing almost 80 per cent of the
worlds steel output. while Great Britain
produces IS 1-2 per cent and Germany 81
per cent. No other nation converts so
much of its pigiron into steel as the
United States does. OF the worlds pigiron
output, forty million tons. 70 per cent is
made into steel; whereas this country
converts II per cent of it's pigiron ton
mage into steel. amounting to 10. .636, ,85s
tons out of the worlds total output o.
81 no. 900 tons. The United States is the
foremost steel-consuming country OF the
world. single city having consumed
125 coo tons In a year for building pur-
poses alone. and one car company having
required 400. .000 tons of steel to meet its
yearly contracts. In 1879 about one-third
of our pigiron was made into rails, but
since that date steel rails have ceased to
be the chief form of steel production.
their proportion in 1898 being but one
civ ~ sEa rIzDEa
steel per capita for non-ran uses in 1879
was I5.4 pounds; in 1889, 213.2 pounds; in
1898. 2T6.2 pounds, showing how other
than rail uses of steel have developed IN
twenty years.
In cur iron and steel trade with foreign
countries covering the last twenty years
our position has been exactly reversed
Within the last FIVE years we have actu-
ally changed from an importing TO an ex-
porting nation. In 1880 we imported FIVE
times as much in value as we exported
of iron and steel products. Now we ex-
port six times the value of our iron and
steel imports. These exports in 1900 ag-
gregated Si21, ,85S,34 thus ranking rext
to breadstGffs, cotton, and provisions. the
three higher in value. There are in the
iron and steel exports twenty-one classes,
valued at from 81 000. 0G0 to SO 900, 900
each. But other nations are learning our
secrets of success. other nations are imi-
tating our methods and making models
of our machinery and tools, in order to
overcome the advantages we now have
over them. Prussia and Bavaria. France
and England, all import our railway en-
gines only to pick out their exceiIences
and then incorporate these into their next
new types to be made al home The policy
of the future must take this fact into ac-
count. and the only way to meet it is by
a restless progress in productive process
eS at home. a systematic study of the
conditions and requirements of American
iron and steel products abroad and a
more consfderate cultivation of the con-
sumer than has hitherto been the case
With proper exceptions consumers have
heretofore bought our products on their
merits without solicitation from US: but
as our competitors long to incorporate
these merits into their own makes, our
position can be secured and improved
methods in which the commercial and the
consuming interests of the foreign trade
are made to realize our readiness to meet
their conditions with a superior product
Hence the main problem of the American
iron and steel trade is now not indus
trial nor financial, but commercial Our
pIgiron trade with Europe for example,
is limited by the quantity of bottoms of
fered it as ballast in cotton cargoes Ey-
erywhere too, our foreign trade suffers
for want of trained, commercial represen-
tatives. Our greatest commercial needs,
as has been well said are ships and
schools