The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-02-21

facturers' Record, OF Baltimore, ds-
eusses the Industrial rogre and po-
tentialities OF the south. and deduces
therefrom reasons why in his opinion
the south should be deeply interested
IN the upbuilding OF a merchant ma
rine. Senator Hanna says:
1.-The more I have tudied this subject
from the southern point Of view the
more deeply am / impressed with the
supreme need to that section Of the
greatest development OF a mercha
marine. for, wonderful as has been the
Industrial development Of the south
within the past twenty years, this prog
ress has hardly kept pace with the op-
~portunities of that section.
standing the fact that there was an
increase in the output OF pig iron for
the whole country last year or over
1900, 600 tons, the production In the
south was not quite as great as in 1900.
The development Of the iron and steel
business of the United States has been
the marvel and wonder of the world.
There is nothing with which to COM
pare 1t. And while the southern states
ave made great progress, the rogres
In this industry has nol been QuiLe COM
mensurate with the south's unequalled
natural advantages. 1t was but a few
weeks g when MIR. j. Stephen Jeans,
secretary of the British Iron Trade As
ISOLATION, told in the Manufactures
Record of the matchless advantages FOR
iron and steel making of the Alabama
district, thus confirming what Mr..
Abram s.. Hewitt said some years ago
when he stated that that section, with
its abundant stores of ore n coal and
limestone in such close proximity az IS
found in Alabama, bid fair within the
next quarter of a century to dominate
the basic steel industry of the world.
But Mr.. Jeans had to admit that Ala
bama-and what is true of Alabama In
this respect is true of the whole south
has not quite measured up to it's
ewn opportunities. I do not say
this in any disparagement OF the
iron and steel interests OF the south,
but rather to call attention to the Vast
possibilities of the future If the divers1-
fed industries upon which iron and steel
must depend are developed in the so~t1
as they have been in Pennsylvania n
elsewhere. During 1901 Pennsylvania
made over 1000, 600 tons of pig iron,
against /, 200. 900 tons in Alabama, which
shows the possibility ahead Of Alabama
But the making CT the pig-iron IN PENN
~sylvania was but a small part OF what
was accomplished in this industry. IL
was the turning of the pig iron into the
finished .form-into ship plates, into
steel rails and into every other line or
Industry into which steel enters-that
added vastly more to the employment
of the people and to the wealth OF rhe
state han simply the production OF Dig
iron itself.
1.-The iron interests OF the south will
never reach their full potentialities un-
Gil they have developed along the gulf
,ran% rhiryH rld nrnQ ting a ffl =
ket for the finished product and helping
to diversity the manufacturing Inter
ests Of the south. Following this would
come the thousand and one other IN
dustries in foundry and machin shops,
In engine and boiler works and all other
enterprises, which would create q home
market for the product of the furnace
of Alabama and other southern states,
thus obviating the necessity utder
which they now labor of finding a mar
ket In the north and west, and at times
ever In Europe, for their output. The
iron makers of the south are
by the lack of a home market. They
can only Sell the bulk OF their product
by paying from $3.50 to 81 a ton freight
for Its delivery TO some other market,
and thus compete with this burden Of
freight added to the cost Of their pro-
duction. With a hOne market they
would have a vast advantage, and the
south would begin to attain unto that
position i'll the iron and steel world
which is naturally it's right by virtue
of the abundant with which
1t has been blessed.
1.-The enormous oil gushers OF Texas
add emphasis to the need of shipyards
along the gulf coast. The development
of a merchant marine would create IN
the south a number of shipyards ana
do more 10 strengthen the industrial
growth and prosperity of that section
than anything else except the conStruc-
ton OF our isthmfan canal, and we
could not be in position to get the best
results even from the canal unless we
have shipyards and ships ready to ham
die the traffic whicl wou d pass through
1t. Possibly $500, 00O, 900, or one-third OF
the export trade Of the United States,
originates in the south. in cotton, llni-
her. naval stores and other goods. No
other section Will be more benented by
cheap and abundant freight room than
this section. The cotton mill people OF
the south, who have been the leaders
in Its Industrial advancement, near.y al
of whom are pre-eminently strong
southern m~en-southern by birth and
sentiment-as we'll as the leading iron
men OF that section, have for years been
strong advocates of a subsidy to aid our
merchant marine. Surely the people Of
h south at large and its public men
can hardly fail to appreciate the fact
this the views OF these great leaders n
southern industry are worthy of every
considerable
THE patriotic reasons are powerful
enough to appeal to all who desire TO
see our natten maintain its present
splendid position III land and sea the
world over, and this point might tie en-
larged on almost indefinitely, but 1t
this tiue I wiB lay special stress on the
tremendous importance OF the develop
ment Of the south's Industrial resources,
which must Inevitably follow the stim-
Mus to sh~ipbuiding and shipping in
terests which the passage OF the ship
subsidy bill would give. h has been
done at Newport News may be dupi-
Gated at several OF the southern ports.
and even more There should be burt
M great iron and steel works where
all the parts which enter into the con-
strucfion of h largest ships will he
manufactured. There should be iron