The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-09


| and steel trades because of American
competition has Just been received at the
State Department from United States Con-
| sui Fleming, who is stationed at Edin-
| burgh- The importance of the statements
made cannot fail to awaken the liveliest
| interest among those enga ged in the iron
| and steel trades in this country. The re
/ port quotes an astonishing admission Of
| one of the leading Edinburgh paper which
! says:
The iron and steel trades have gone
| from us. When the fictitious prosperity.
| caused by the expenditure of our Govern
ment and that OF European nations on
/ armament. ceases half of the men employ
! ed in these industries will be turned into
| the streets. The outlook is appalling
What suffering Will have to be endured
| before the workers realize that there IS
nothing left for them but emigration! It
is useless to pretend that this generation
| of workmen can ever hope TO contend sue
| eessfully with the Americans under pres
| ent conditions
! What are these conditions? They have
| cheaper coal and iron ore improved tools
| innumerable labor-saYing machines. and.
/ above all, the strenuous efforts of the
|
| 1t to be expected that our workmen, train
/ ed 10 regard restriction of output as their
| sheet anchor can suddenly be made to IN
| derstand that it is a fatal heresy. and
| that their only salvation is an increased
! output at diminished cost2'
The consul says that the situation is
being discussed with great earnestness by
| both the technical and non-technicaI Eng
lish press. and that in general it blames
manufacturers for not adopting labor-say-
| ing machinery, and the workInen for their
hostility TO layoT-saving devices Since
! January 1, 1900, the metal trades in Great
| Britain have experienced remarkable de-
cline.
To describe the difference in the Condi-
! ton Of these trades at The beginning and
at the end Of last year would be to con-
| traSt enormous activity and practical
stagnaticn- The decline was not a feat
ure OF the entire year-indeed, prices
reached the highest point in April-but
chiefly of the last six months. the reac-
ton being specially marked in December.
The course OF prices is instructive, al
| though it does not tell the whole story.
NiGdlesbOrOUgh foundry pig iron fell from
$16-54 per ton on December Il, 1899. TO
1882 on December IS, 1900; Scotch war
rants per ton, from slS.25 to S15-29; hema-
tite warrants, from S17.76 10 $1654; South
Staffordshire marked bars. from S43-6T to
S42-5S: steel rails, from 1898 10 5000;
steel angles. from s37.72 TO $35-26; steel
ship plates, from 1888 to S32-86; tin
plates per box, from $3.50 to S3-I6- Since
the middle of December last there has
been a further depression of prices all
around on light orders. although stocks
are low in most lines. On January 1.
Scotch warrants were $3.50
American ana German competition be
came sharply manifest early last summer.
but not until autumn did the offers Of
American iron and steel at reduced prices
come upon the market with crushing ef-
feet. What made the difficulty worse for
British producers was that Germany. hay
ing bought largely from America in the
spring and summer, became alarmed and
resold here al reduced figures AMI also
placed finished iron and steel Oh this mar
ket in competition with American manu-
facturers.
The result now seen is . collapse OF The
metal trades in Scotland and the GOT.h OF
England In the Motherwen district the
dullncss was felt severely IN November. .
when there was reduction Of ; per cent .
in ironworkers' wages and hundreds Of men
were suspended. Some manufacturers in
the Barrow and Middlesb0rough distTicLs, .
and also IN Sheffield and Manchester. are
reported TO be restricting their output In I
the north Of England and in Scotland. +.
about o1e-third Of The furnaces have a. /!
firms il the iron trade at Birmingham -sjI- .
cd last week.
Taking the views Of the various ex- /
perts who have expressed themselves as
to the causes and the possible remedies
for the existing depression. he finds that
they agree IN the following statement:
'-LaboT-saying machinery and automat-
ic machinery are everywhere in evidence.
and the general use Of these. more es-
peciaHy Of automatic machines. is Of
very great Importance So lcng as engi-
neers IN Great Britain are under the
necessity OF working one man one ma
chine they have no chance against their !
American brethren
AT the works OF the SturteyaEt Engi-
neering Company. for example, one MAJ
works six lathes. and at the works OF
the Yost Typewriter Machine COMPANY
one man superintends eight autontic ma
chimes At the works of Pratt q Wait
ney. at Hartford. 2 man may be seen
working al one time a planning machine.
q drilling machine and a SHAPING ma
chine; another man miRdiRs two cutting
off machines: another working five special (
IaJhes fitted with stops, and men viii
willingly work ten tuTret-head automatic
machines at one time. At the Hartford
Screw Nail Works one man viii super
intend as many as eighteen machines.
There IS vet another reason why the
Americans are at present ahead of Us. The
institutions in America are OF
two kinds; First, there are the large
schools. colleges and universities. like our
own. TO which The youth goes before enter
ing on his LIES work: and. second there
are schools and colleges al which the or
binary workman may study all the arts
and sciences bearing en- mis- particular /
craft. often without paying any fee.
IN the State Of Minnesota for example (
the whole course Of education from school
to university is free to all. There are /
throughout the country so many inslIIu-
tons founded By captains OF industry for /
the advancement Of technology that al
most every workman can find close AZ hand
some such place where he receives all nee
essary aid for his advancement IN the tech
meal knowledge required for ais special |
work.
"The IibersIity Of rich American cfti- .
zens IN the foundation and endowment of !
such institutions is a potent factor in the |
educational development Of The nation. and ,
even the most progressive Of European | Z
countries cannot show such rich provision .
Tor the advancement Of learning. especial
~ IN its application to the Industrial arzs |
Nor is this generosity merely pOsthumous;
Il Is often accompanied by a living person
a interest and control.
CAS- examples Of IL we M Y particularly |
mention the Pratt Institute. BROOKLYN: |
Inc DreXel Institute Philadelphia: the
Armour and Lewis Institutes. Chicago; |
Webs Academy for Shipbuilders, New | Z
York: the splendid buildings and equip !
Of ne mechanical f.bz |