Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-18
OURINDUSTRlES LAUDED
Lord Hanilton's Defense OF
American Products In India.
WHY We RECEIVE THE ORDERS.

Il
Locomotives From United States the
Equal of Any nufactured-Com-
petition Was Fair-RaiIways Would
/ Rather Have Bought From British
Firms Burma Viaduct Not De-
fective.
Lord George Hamilton, the Indian
secretary, who was not present in the
house of commons when Sir Alfred
Hickman. Conservative, May %, at
tackled American built locomotives and
bridges, has replied in a letter to Sir
Alfred Hickman, says n London dis
patch. In part it is as follows:
| mo practical engineer who has visit
ed American workshops and inspected
| their methods of production and manu-
facture would for a moment indorse
your assumptions. Their competition
| is dangerous because they are yearly
improving their products both In quail
| ity and price.
at always has been the practice of
| the boards of management of the In
dian railroads to give preference in all
their contracts to British manufacture
ers. and that policy has so prevailed
| that up to the great recent engineering
strike no order for a railway locomo-
tive was ever given outside of Great
Britain.
'Since then, owing to the British
workshops being blocked with work,
certain of the India railway boards
found it necessary, as locomotives
could not be obtained here, TO place a
few limited orders in America. l am
ready to give all the available reports
concerning working, consumption of
fuel and load drawing power of these
locomotives. The earlier reports are
unfavOrable. but when their working
was better understood and alterations
were made to suit the local fuel
marked improvement was noticed, so
much so that one company wishes to
obtain more engines of similar con-
struction.
That American locomotives obtained
n footing in India was due to the strike
l have referred. But If, as hope, Brit
ish locomotives are In the future to re
gain their monopoly in that vast sys-
TEN of railways British engineers must
profit by the hints and suggestions
these reports convey"
Concerning the Gokteik viaduct in
Burma. Lord George Hamilton says the
order was placed with n Philadelphia
company because no British firms had
anything like the same experience in
this class of construction. The Ameri-
cans bid less price and quicker time
than any competitor. The charge made
by the late supervisor of the construc-
ton of the viaduct that the riveting
was defective was in no way supported
by a searching inspection.
''The Burma railway board" he adds.
composed of the most competent rail-
way experts, are satisfied that the
bridge is sound and reliable"
Lord George Hamilton also says that
IL he seems to combat Sir Alfred Hick-
mans contention it is not because he
does not heartily appreciate his object.
They both wish 10 assist in maintain
ing the supremacy of British engineers
and workshops against foreign con-
tractors. You seem to think" he con-
tinues, that orders have only gone
abroad because those who gave them
did not understand their business. L
wish it were so. The competition we
have TO face Is founded on something
much more formidable and more sub
stantial. Chemical research. the con-
centration of capital, thorough technic
al education and improved Industrial
organization have made in recent years
n greater advance in America than
here.
at is with the product of these COM
binations and not with the assumed
stupidity of the Indian officials that the
British engineer has to contend. So
far as / am concerned. can undertake
that preference. unless the difference in
price. quality and delivery is very sub
stantiaI. Will always be given to Brit
ish firms. May l not ask you as lead
ing member of the great steel industry |
of this country to cooperate with me
by impressing on your associates the |
necessity of meeting competition in the |
future so as to insure that price and |
time of delivery will be on the side Of |
British production