The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-24
TUESDAY, APRIL "a, 1900.
SOUTHERN IRON.

Now that there is a furry in the iron
market 1t seems to US an opportune
time to cali attention to the wonderful
development of the iron industry in the
South during the past several years.
The New York Commercial of Saturday
last prints as a leading editorial an
article signed by Joseph ]. Willett IN
which he shows how the iron interests
of the South have prospered in spite OF
the evil predictions that were made by
the iron experts of the North. First he
tells US. it was said that Southern pig
iron. while it could be made cheaply, was
of an inferior quality and ut only Tor
cheap castings, but he adds that when
the Southern man commenced to ship
and sell his pig iron at Pittsburg. and
when the English and German manu-
facturers began to show an actual
preference for the Alabama product over
that OF Ohio and Pennsylvania, that
MISREPRESENTATION died and was gathered
TO its fathers
Again. he says, IT was asserted that
the future Of iron was steel and that steel
could not be successfully made cut Of
the Tennessee and Alabama iron for
the reason that the cost of eliminating
the objectionable properties in the ores and
reducing the same to steel would be more
than the steel would bring in the mar
ket, but the reply 10 this is that the
birmingham rolling mills and other like
establishments. by actual experiment
have demonstrated that the best quality
of steel can be profitably manufactured
in the South.
Once more, he goes on, it was asserted
that the Southern iron man had TO pay
so much higher rates for money than
his Northern competitor that the ad-
vantage of his location and cheapness OF
raw materials were neutralized by his
lack of capital and that because OF his
lack of capital he could not success
fully and permanently compete with the
richer manufacturers Of the North.
But he replies, successful reorganiza-
ton OF the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com
Jany, the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron
Company and other such companies,
giving them an abundance OF capital at
a low rate of interest, has demonstrated
that capital, with its Keen instinct OF
profit, had unbounded confidence Of iron
in the South and was DESTROYS Of develop
ing and utihzing its natural resources,
To the mutual advantage Of both lender
and borrower, and so this last mis-
representation died and was gathered to
its fathers
In conclusion, ne said that Birmingham
is now one of the iron centres Of the
world. and that If the Pittsburg district
has accomplished its wonders with OILY
the coal al its doors, the ore being Loo
miles away. what may be expected of the
Birmingham district, now in its infancy,
with coal. red ores and limestone at its
very doors and the fine brown ores at
Admission, only sixty miles distant?
de also calls attention TO the superior
transportation facilities of the South and
the advantage which it has in labor.
It is an interesting coincidence that
on the same day that this article APP
pearea in the New York Commercial
conspicuorsly displayed editorial article
appeared in the Philadelphia Record on
-.Pig Iron from the South The Record
may be pardoued for saying that penn
sylvania still Keeps her place far in the
front, But adds that st is evident, par
REGULARLY with reference TO iron manu-
featuring east of the Alieghanies, that
II must more and more deal with the
finished rather than the crude product"
And then makes this significant con-
cession: las the South has natural adj
vantages for the cheap outturn of pig
iron which defy successful competition.
domestic and foreign. ii viii hereafter
be a market upon which Philadelphia
VIII largely depend The inference fol-
lows az corollary. II the South can
make pig iron SO cheapls as to defy sue
cessful competition. domestic and foreign.
1t is fcregone conclusion that the South
will defy competition In dealing with the
finished product
The South has q firm grasp upon the
cotton manufacturing industry and the