New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-06
CANADA'S BOOM
In IRON FROM
WAR CONTRACTS
Development Normal to a
Decade Has Been Com
pressed in 2 Years.
By s. ROY WEAVER.
Toronto, August 8.

Nfe1N, 'N1ND -
The war with its resultant munitions
orders has meant more to the iron and
steel industry Of Canada than would a
decade Of normal development. At
Sydney and New Glasgow, Nova Scotia,
the steel plants have never been so
busy. Since the middle Of 1915 they
have been operating day and night and
employing more men and paying high
er wages than at any time in their his
tory A similar story is TO be told
about hundreds Of plants, great and
small, throughout the Dominion, which
are working on munitions for the Brit
ish Government The development is
not restricted TO Eastern Canada, but
is truly general, plants even in Van
couver and Victoria being engaged on
wsr orders. Steel billets are even sent
across the continent and on the Pa
( cifc coast are machined into shell
bodies. All Canada has felt the stimu-
/ lus. Every industry has derived bene-
: fit. Moreover, that benefit, in large
measure at least, cannot fail 10 be
permanent. The great steel corpora
tions of the Dominion have been placed
| in an exceedingly strong financial posi-
ton. The iron and steel industry has
been so developed that it is now COM
peting in foreign markets and well
/ able TO continue that competition. Ex-
ports Of steel have much more than
doubled, and connections have been es-
tablished which will be of immense
value after the war.
No Special Consideration.
The large volume Of war orders .ex>
ecuted by Canadian concerns has not
to any great extent been the result Of
special consideration Of the Dominion
by the imperial government. The con-
tracts in general have been secured and
orders filed in direct competition with
the United States and without the as
sistance of such large advances as were
made in many cases by the British gov
ernment's agents in the United States
TO American manufacturers. "The Lon
don Times" in a recent editorial, stated
that neither the mother country nor
Canada recognized sufficiently quickly
in the early stages Of the war what
Canada could do in the manufacture Of
munitions. In some instances orders
went 70 the United States which might
well have gone TO Canada. The Times"
added: MATTERS, now, however, are
very different, and Canada in any and
every case receives, and will certainly
continue to receive, the preference over
the United States in the placing Of such
orders as she can adequately fulfil
An official of the Imperial Munitions
Board, in an appeal for more coopera-
ton between the manufacturers Of
component parts, in order 10 improve
deliveries, said: There is no scarcity
of orders, but the problem is to carry
out what we have"
Working for the Allies.
Not only in the factories and NUM-
tions shops at home have Canadian
workmen contributed to the success
full prosecution Of the war. Many
skilled Canadian mechanics have
been recruited in the Dominion for
industrial service in Great Britain.
Their number is uncertain. but CON
siderable. Then, too, nearly 1000
Canadian railroad builders played an
important part in the construction OF
the recently completed Russian war
railway from Petrograd 10 Katrina
Harbor in the Arctic circle.
Women and Munitions.
In Great Britain the successful
employment Of women at munitions
work has been one of the most in
teresting and romantic features Of
industrial war operations. Canada
has not yet called upon her women
~ anv considerable extent for such
service. It can safely be said that
the women Of Canada have not heard
the call of the factory. Indeed, among
manufacturers who are unable 70
rrocure an adequate supply OF fe-
male workers there has been some
disposition 10 criticise women for not
Offering their services in industrial
establishments. To some extent fac
tories have attracted domestic help.
ORGANIZATIONS have registered wo-
men from other classes in the COM
nunity for war work, but while
some are employed in a number
Of munitions plants they have been
TOO few. and the experience has
been too short to make possible any
General statement as to the adapta-
bilitv of Canadian women to NUM-
tions work
The First Advance.
Without the cooperation OF the Ca
madam Department of Finance and the