The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-06
OPPORTUNITY IS KNOCKING

By c. ED. ALBEs

goods. Consequently we need everything I that Is connected with railroads. If you
 wish to get the profit of our mines and
 railroads, you can go and get it as well as anyone, II not better than anybody | else, because we realize as far as railroads are concerned the world must take off its hat to the United States. Our people will buy from you, but not as a favor, be- cause it is past our time to do favors for anybody. We give our trade to the best man and the man who gives us the best fer our moneys worth, and am gratifed to say that we have placed quite num- Der of orders lately in the United States for railroad materials"
 l Lack of space forbds indulgence in generalities, however, so let us oontem- plate few reliable statistics that may interest the coal iron and steel industries of the Birmingham district
 l Tn the year 1909 the most recent ac- curate date obtainabe by the writer, the | principal iron and steel imports into Ar gentina alone were: Wire s4154,s62. nails sz, ,835, 47S, bar and sheet iron $4056,804. gal vanized iron s7,675. .3s3, bolts and nuts si.- 5s4,s51, steel rails $S,7S0.0l6, railway cars | s4, 96O, 362, iron tubing-classed as building
 material-s2,342, ,5S2, coal $l5,S13, ,39S, coke S373, 40.
 | Iron and steel importations of Brazil,
 according to MT. Julius e. Lay, United
 States consul general in Rio de Janeiro,
 consisting of rods. iron bars, plates, sheet
 iron for building purposes structural iron,
 etc, amounted in 1909 to $S0O0,000. which
 came from the United Kingdom, Belgium
 and France. From statistics in the Bull
 letin of the Pan-American union we find
 that the total imports of Brazil In Iron and steel manufactures in 1909 amounted 1 to s19, 3S7 S37, among which were wire si,- TIA, ,776, building hardware s2,527S55, and
 steel rails s7,077,Ss6.
 1 Chile imported In mineral products dron
 and steel being classified thereunder, 1 S16,S45, 469 and in coal and oils, $l6,552, 35s. Colombia imported in manufactures of 1 iron and steel $967, ,040; even little Costa
 Rica bought s119.146 worth of railroad ma terials Ecuador bought $149,23S worth Of
 coal, of which amount England sent $135,- l 920, and $416 401 worth of iron and hard
 ware. All steel rails came from Belgium Guatemala imported in iron and steel
 manufactures $226.859. Mexicos imports
 of iron and steel products amounted to
 the sum or $10,S76, ,282, most of-which came
 from the United States.
 l In answer to the question, What is the
 present market for bituminous coal in
 Peru? Where does the present supply
 come from?" MT. Noel. editor of Peru
 Today, said: Answering the question, l will say that the principal coal comes
 from England ana Australia in various l forms and that the last statistics l find,
 to the value of $4O0000 at an average cos,
 of sS to s10 per ton. There is also some
 coal imported from the United States, hut
 the principal amount comes from Eng
 land and Australia"
 The statistics relating to only a portion
 of the Latin American imports of iron and
 steel products and the few given rela
 to coal will give some idea of the presen'
 value of this trade, to say nothing of its
 future development. Some of our Ala
 bama coal and iron operators are begin
 ming to realize the opportunities that have been neglected. In recent conversation
 with the wide awake sales agent of one Of Birminghams large coal and iron com panies I found that he had recently wis., ited Mobile with the view of investiga ting | the shipping facilities, etc.. and he was
 getting ready to do business with Brazil
 ian consumers. He was enthusiastic over
 the splendid opportunities the Panama canal would open, stressing the fact that every vessel that took our products to the South American countries could count on | a return cargo of products that we con- fstantly need. He seemed to think :here
 was but one answer to the question: Is il
 worth while to go after it? Do not the
 statistics and data given in this article, | applying to present condtions,' give some | indication of what we may expect in the
 way of future development? Don't you | think these trade conditions are worth
 investigating?
 l Decatur, Ala. August 5, 1911