Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-22
VOICES OF THE PRESS.
Another Wonderful Showing
(Hartford Courant.)

tHartford COurant)
The clang and roar of our iron and
steel mills are now heard-like the
shot fired by the embattled farmers
around the world. In 1887 the contri-
button of these mills to our export
trade was still an humble one. The
value of their products shipped abroad
that year was, approximately, S16,-
100000. BY 1897 this total had grown
to about $63,00OOOO. With the Decem-
Der figures not all in yet. the bureau of
statistics feels able to say that the iron
and steel exports of 1907 did not fall
much Gf any short of $20O,O0O,OO0.
That's jump of more that 200 per
cent, in ten years.
More than One-half of last years iron
and steel expectation, we are told. was
in the form of machinery. Details
are given for the first eleven months.
The value of the pipes and fittings sold
and shipped abroad in those months
was $1O,925,212; of the steel railroad
rails, $9,770,000; of the Woodworking
machinery, $9.401 900: Of the electrical
machinery. $S,S97,419; of the locomo-
tives, $S,460.SS2; of the wire, $8399,352
of the sewing machines, $7,S14912.; of
the structural iron and steel, 81, 2S9.O61;
of the typewriting machines, Sc, 14S,963;
of the locks and hinges, $6,004.076; of
the mining machinery, $5,12S,775; and
so on. The bureau remarks:
Many of the articles appearing in
the list of iron and steel manufactures
exported in 1907 are Of recent de-
velopment in our export trade. Elec-
trical machinery, Woodworking ma
chinery, wood working machinery,
windmills, mining machinery, cash
registers, shoe machinery, and pipes
and fittings, whose combined exports
were valued at over $41 100000 in the
eleven months of 1907 for which figures
are available, had in no case become
sufficiently important to warrant their
separate classification in the exports of
a decade ago; while in many of the
staple articles of the iron and steel
schedule the growth during the past
decade has been fully three times as
great as that Of the preceding half
century.
Who We're our customers for these
iron and steel things last year? The
report about the European countries
of steel billets and ingots. builders
hardware, pipes and fittings. sewing
machines, typewriting machines, cleo
trical machines, ETC. Canada's princi-
pal purchases in the first eleven
months of 1907 were structural iron
and steel, S3.500.000: builders hard
ware s2.5OO.O0O; pipes and fittings
$3.50, 900: wire, $2.OO0.000; locomo-
tives. s1.500.000: electrical machinery,
81 ,5OO,0 900; steel rails, s1,00O,O00; and
sewing machines. $500 900. The figures
for Mexico are not given; they should
have been. Two of Central America
purchases were locomotives, nearly
81 200, 600. and steel rails, nearly $780,
0OO The South American countries
paid us in the eleven months $2,25O.0
for steel railroad rails, more than
81, 900, 900 for wire. s2.000,000 for loo >
motives. 100000 for builders hard
ware, s1.333,0OO for sewing machines,
$1,250.000 for electrical machines. and
nearly 100000 for typewritinS
machines. The sales to Japan ln-
cluded electrical machines. s1.250, 900;
pipes and filings, s1OOO.OO0 plus: steel
rails, $1,000,000; structural iron and
steel, more than 100000; locomotives.
not quite 100000. In the correspond
ing eleven months Of 1905 Japan in
vested s2,5O0,000 in American loco
motives. What's the explanation:
Simply that Japan has been learning
how to make other things besides war
locomotives, for instance.