The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-14

resents one-third of the total ore sup
ply in the United States. The other
publication claims that the south
contains one-half of the total de-
poslts, then goes on to assert that
ore can be mined much more cheap
ly In Alabama, for example, than in
the Northwest, claiming that it costs
81 per ton to secure the ore at the
mines. Every iron manufacturer in
the country knows that the maximum
cost of obtaining ore from the Masa-
ba and other Superior ranges does
not exceed as cents per ton, and is
often secured as low as so cents per
ton because nearly all of it is mined
by steam shove1s and loaded upon
cars directly at the works without
any hand labor whatever. AS to the
claim that the south Contains one
nall OF the iron ore of the United
States, the calculations of mineralo-
glSts, as well as the United States
Geological Survey, which has made
an exhaustive investigation of all
the Known ore properties in the
United States, are that the southern
states contain about third OF the
total available supply know up to
the present time
Other points of difference, ranging
anywhere from one million to a hun
dred million dollars, might be men
TONED, but. we will merely cite figures
OF She pig-iron output One publish
er states that the annual production
al present is 3,467 900 tons, but does
fnoj give the total value. This is
found In the other publication, how
ever. which fOotS up the total at
million dollars, in round figures.
Every one knows that the south
| makes iron at very low price, hut
it is doubtful if the average reader
Will believe that it is only worth 81
per ton. Yet this is the conclusion
We must draw from examining these
StatiticS.
1t may be needless to say that The
TradeSman has no desire to diScredit
or disparage any statements which
are true relative to the development
OF the southern states. Readers of
this journal are well aware that we
believe in giving all merited publicity
to this or that activity. The south
ern states have made such actual
progress in nearly every industry,
however, that articles exploiting
them can be written from an entire
| ly truthful standpoint which will give
them deserved publicity. There is
no need to draw on ones imagination
yahOu any industry or any resource
rof the south, since the figures of what
has been accomplished are sufficient
proof to the ordinary reader
We have unwillingly referred to
the publications in question for the
! reason that the quotations of figures
which so widely differ from. each
other indicate that some one has
made grave errors in their comDila-
ton. By reading them one may get
wrong impression relative 10 the
south in the end will work injury to
this section of the country So
many people outside of it are keep
ing in touch with what is being done
in the metal industry, in textile man.
l1ufScturing, in agriculture, and in
bother ways, that they are quick to
note such errors, and might infer
thst such articles are published more
to boom" special interests than to
give facts.
A glance at the advertising section
tends to confirm this suspicion. Here
we find pages and half pages about
some company or town Or other in
terest which in the so-called news
section are also made the subject of
long articles in which their adyan-
tages and prospects are glowinely set
forth in many1syllabeled adiectives.
After reading some of these effu-
'Fancies About the South would be
a far more fitting title than some of
the headings that have been chosen.