The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-03
NEEDS OF THE SOUTH.
Its Interest in n Greater American
Merchant Marine.
Brooklyn Eagle.

Brooklyn Eagle.
Senator Hanna, in the Manufacturers
Record. discusses the industrial progress
and potentialities OF the South, and de-
Guces therefrom reasons why. in his opin-
ion' the South should be deeply interested
in the up-building Of a merchant marine.
Senator Hanna says:
The more I have studied this subject
from the Southern point OF view the more
oeeply an / impressed with the supreme
need TO that section OF the greatest de-
velopment of a merchant marine. for. WON
oerful a. has been the industrial develop
ment OF the South within the past twenty
years TINS progress has hardly kept pace
with the opportunities OF that section. Not
wlthstanding the fact that there was an
increase In the output of pig iron for the
whole country last year OF 100000 tons.
the production in the South was not quite
as great as in 1890. The development OF
the iron and steel business Of the United
States has been the marvel and wonder
OF the world. There is nothing witt which
to compare II. And while the Southern
States have made great progress the prog
less In this industry has not been quite
commensurate with the South's uncqualed
natural advantages.
1t was but a few weeks ago when NJ. J.
Stephen Jeans, secretary OF the British
Iron Trade Association. told I'm the Manu-
facturers' Record of the matchless advan-
tages for iron and steel-making OF the Ala
bama district, thus confirming what Mr..
Abram s.. Hewitt said some years ago.
when he stated that that section. with It's
abundant stores Of ore and coal and lime
| stone in such close proximity as Is found
in Alabama. bids fair within the next quar-
ter of a century to dominate the basic steel
industry of the world But Mr.. Jeans
had to admit that A~labama-and what is
true of Alabama in this respect Is true OF
the whole South-has not quite measured
up to its own 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 diversified Industries upon
which iron and steel must depend are de-
veloped in the South as they have been In
Pennsylvania and elsewhere During 1901
Pennsylvania made over 100000 tons OF pig
iron, against 100000 tons In Alabama.
which shows the possibility ahead OF Ala
bama. But the making Of the pig iron IN
Pennsylvania 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 snip plates, into steel rals ana
into every other line OF industry into which
steel enters-that aided vastly more TO the
employment Of the people and to the wealth
of the State than simply the production
of pig iron itself.
THE iron interests Of the South will never
reach their full potentialities until they
have developed along the gulf coast great
shipyards, creating a market for the fin
ished product and helping to diversity the
manufacturing interests of the South. Fol
lowing this would come the thousand and
one other industries. in foundry and ma
chine shops, enterprises which would create
a home market for the product or the FUR
naces of Alabama and other Southern
States, thus obviating the necessity under
which they now labor of finding "A market
in the North and West. and at times even
in Europe, for their output. The ironmakers
of the South are hampered by the lack of a
home market. They can only sell the bulk
of their product by paying from $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 home market they would
have a vast advantage and the South would
begin TO attain unto that position In the
iron and steel world which is naturally its
right by virtue of the abundant resources
with which it has been blessed.
The enormous oil gushers Of Texas add
emphasis 10 the need of shipyards along the
gulf coast. The development of a merchant
marine would create I'm the South a number
of shipyards and do more TO strengthen the
industrial growth and prosperity Of that
section than anything else except the con-
struction of our sthmian canal, and we
could not be in position TO get the best re-
suits even from the canal unless we have
shipyards and ships ready to handle the
traffic which would pass through IL. Pos
sibly $500. 100000. or one-third OF the export
trade of the United States, originates in the
South, in cotton. lumber. naval stores and
other goods. No other section will be more
benefited 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
ly all of whom are pre-eminenuy strong
Southern men-Southern by birth and senti-
ment-as we'll as the leading iron men OF
that section, have for years been strong adj
NOIdLtS VI a EuDclQN ~ Az
marine. Surely the people of the South at
large and its public men can hardly fail to
appreciate the fact that the views OF these
great dealers in Southern industry are
worthy of every consideration.
THE patriotic reasons are powerful
enough to appeal to all who desire TO see
our Nation maintain its present splendid
position on land and sea the world over.
and this point might be enlarged on almost
indefinitely, but at this time j Will lay spe-
ciaI stress on the tremendous Importance OF
the development of the South's Industrial
resources, which must inevitably follow the
stimulus to shipbuilding and shipping inter-
ests which the passage of the ship subsidy
bill would give. What has been done at
Newport News may be duplicated at sew
eral of the Southern ports, and even more.
There should be built up great iron and
steel plants from which finished products
of all kinds are turned out. TO be shipped
in American bottoms TO the farthest part OF
the earth. Then would come such a develop
ment Of the splendid resources OF the South
as would justify the prophecies Of those
who have declared that within the next gen.
Grafton the South ought TO dominate the
basic steel industry of the world