The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-26

| the department of commerce in wash
| ington and by representative Underwood
on the floor of the House to the effect that
| one great test of the Underwood bill
when it becomes law will be that of the
efficiency of American commerce. a good
many illustrations have been used TO show
| that efficiency in many lines of industry
already does exist Tile United States
| Steel corporation Is often referred to as
one example. This morning a business
man of national distinction who has also
served prominently in public life said that
there could be no better example of very
high efficiency than that which could be
| furnished by the experience of the COM
pany which is now producing sulphur
from the inexhaustibe mines in sout-.-
western Louisiana.
| This efficiency consisted, first, in uu'
izing very high professional and seien-
| tific ability. Science showed the way
after long and patient investigation by
which vast deposits, many feet beneath
| the surface of Louisianas soil. could be
captured to commercial advantage The
company itself is efficiently organized. Its
| work in Louisiana has been of momentous
proportions. The company has been
| financed without any appeal to the pubic,
and its capital represents actual values,
| but by no means represents the enormlty
of these values.
l
highly skilful constructive management
without any appeal to the public for
funds, this organization has revolution
| lied the sulphur industry of the world
| 1t has made it possible for the United
States to obtain as a home product all
the sulphur that 1t needs.
| There speedily arose a very complicated
and truly international business question
1t was essential that this be answered IN
| what was regarded as the true spirit of
efficiency. Louisiana sulphur within Few
years has absolutely stopped the 1mpor-
tation of sulphur from Sicily. That re-
suited in grievous business embarrass-
ments in Sicily. There seemed to be dan
ger that world encompassing trade war
might begin. The Italian government
| itself took heed of this state of facts. 1t
| became the sponsor and protector of the
great industry of Sicily After while
contention ended, and 1t is now strongly
surmised that an international under
standing of some kind has been reached
| whereby the Italian government and the
| American producers Of sulphur are able
| to contemplate the worlds market for sui
| phur without apprehension. IL looks
greatly as though the United States and
| Italy absolutely commanded the world s
sulphur markets, and if this is so, 1t Is
difficult to understand how it could have
been done unless there were some inter-
national agreement.
| Efficiency and very slxllful business
management and perfected organiza-
ton which matches that OF the United
States Steel corporation have made it pos
sble TO produce sulphur both here and in
Sicily which can be marketed a a price
for the worlds market demand Is con-
stant and heavy-which is 70 times great
er than the cost of producing the com
! modify.
There is nothing exactly like this, even
| In the romantic history of gold mining.
| One of the original investors who took
a chance when it seemed foolhardy to
do il, and who put about 100000 into the
capitalization of 100000, now finds, or at
least his family does, for he died few
| years ago. steady yearly income of
| about $500 900 upon that investment Eff
| fciency, skillful organization and the con-
| troll of the markets of the world, prob
ably through international understanding,
are represented in the history Of this or
ganization. 1t could be effected only re-
motely and indirectly by a tariff bill
| which granted absolutely free trade or
| on the other hand. by a tariff bill con-
structed on the highest protective prin-
ciple.