The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-20
Sorry for Plttsburg.

UR ESIEEMED cOnteT1por-
ary, the Pittsburg Gazette,
~ says that one reason why
the Lackawanna Iron and
| Steel company removed from Scranton
to Buffalo was the lack of railroad
facilities and competition. The lack
| of railroad facilities had nothing at all
to do with the transference of the
works. What the Gazette means by
| Competition" in this connection we
are at a loss to understand. Presui1-
ably the Lackawanna Iron and Steel
company will have as many competi-
tors In Buffalo as it had here and
would have as many here as 1t VIII
have in Buffalo. The only competitor
1t has had to fear, or meet either, in
Scranton of Buffalo Is the ubiquitous
United States Steel corporation,
and 1t 1t meets that successfully
in the immense works which 1t
is now erecting, the wisdom OF the
choice of the site which 1T has selected
Is fully justified. The Lackawanna
gave, and was prepared to give, all
the facilities the steel company needed.
1t was their interest and their policy
to do so. When the first rumors OF
the proposed removal of the South
steel mills became a current topic In
this city, President Truesdale en-
phatically declared that anything he
could do to retain the mills In Scran-
ton would be done. He was as, good
as his word. The directors Of the
steel mill never made any complaint of
the lack of facilities, although it has
been vaguely said that they did about
charges for the haulage of ore from
the lakes or Connellsville. They had
none to make, to be honest. They did
protest against what they considered
the exhorbitant rates Of the Scranton
Gas and Water company, but that was
a comparatively small matter, and IL
there were no other reasons than that
for their removal, the mills would be
here still. Now that they are gone, it
cannot, in any way, adversely affect
Scranton to state the primary, per-
haps the sole, reason for their removal.
be the metropolis Of the iron and steel
industry of the country within COM
paratively short time. The center of
gravity of the iron trade is shifting
from Pittsburg to the Lakes. Pitts
burg will always be a great city, a
vast emporium of commerce, wonder
full mart of all that the inventive
genius, the energy, and the financial
enterprise of its citizens can produce.
But it is not going to monopolize the
iron and steel manufacturing produce
tivity of the country indefinitely The
cities surrounding the Lakes. from
Sault Ste Marie to Buffalo, and from
Erie to Green Bay, will participate in
it in a circuit, not to the exclusion, or
perhaps in the end to the disadvant-
age, OF Pittsburg, when it RECEIVERS
from the shock which such decentral-
ization means. The iron trade must
follow the natural sources of its
staples, coal and ore. Pittsburg has
the advantage of the raw material in
soft coal for coke; the Lakes have it
in ore. These two minerals are not
often found in proximate contlguity
in this country, as they are, to cer-
tain extent, in Great Britain, Bel
gium and Westphalia.
Now the problem which the iron
master has to face is whether it is
more economical to abide by the coke
ovens of Connellsville or sit down by
the ore deposits of the Lakes, with
their additional marvellous advant-
ages of transportation. He has
choice, and it is his privilege to fig
ure upon which suits his interest 1t
he considers as to what is the most
There is no senti-
ment about it, or local civic patriot
ism, or anything Of that kind. Many
stockholders of the Lackawanna Iron
and Steel company are Scranton
them from stalking their fortunes on
the shores of Lake Erie, in response
to the belief and the economic ten
dency that upon the littoral of these
mighty inland waters the future of the
iron trade will be concentrated. The
Gazette is vaguely conscious of this,
too, and uneasy at it's consciousness.
1t attributes to a shortage of freight
cars, which was temporary. accidental
and. to a great extent local, owing to
the stupid and irrational arrangement
by which small railroads monopollzed
the transporting facilities OF the
greater corporations, consequence
out of all proportion to actual facts
and potential changes.
The conviction of the more far-see-
ing of the iron lords that the Lakes
are to be the metallursical seat of their
empire is not presumptive, but Is be-
ing realized. Scranton has suffered all
1t can suffer in that way by deporta-
tion of her steel mills; but her citi-
Gems and business people generally are
more sensible than to attribute to
fortuitous shortage of freight cars an
devolution of the iron and
steel trade. We are sorry for Pitts
burg, but what will be must be.
A New Jersey vice. chancellor has re-
fused to enjoin the proprietor OF
from burning soft coal. While
he admits that the smoke may be
he did not desire to prosecute
business people for what Is unavoidable
owing to the anthracite strike. When
hard coal shall again become plentiful,
the vice chancellor stated that he might
entertain a similar complaint. but that