The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-25
American Products Will Go
in Great Volume at End
of the War
RAILS IN DEMAND
ALL OVER WORLD
South America Expected to Make
Enormous Demands for Electric
Railroad Equipment in
the Future
By HOLLAND


Only comparatively small part of the
exports from the United States for the
fiscal year which ended on June 30 repre-
sented the total money value of the ex
ports for that year. The authorities in
Washington report that the money value
of materials entering into the construc-
ton and operation of railways which
were exported in the IL months ending
June 30 were SIS, 900. The significance
contained in these figures, however, is
discovered when comparison is made with
earlier exports. For instance. in the
preceding fiscal year American manufac-
turers of railway material and equip
ment sold to other nations commodities
of that kind of the money value of a
little under $4,000 900. Therefore, in a
year the increase in exports of this kind
was nearly 100 per cent
Presumably there will be a heavier ex-
port of commodities of this kind in the
present fiscal year, and it will be con-
tinued after the European war is ended.
France has had representatives in the
United States who have been making in
quiry respecting railway equipment and
a very large amount of equipment of this
kind, since that nation will depend
chiefly upon the United States not only
for the repairing of her railroads, but
for new construction.
The growth of our export trade in rail-
way supplies is associated with the de-
velopment of the great foreign sales de-
partments of the leading industries in the
United States. Before these departments
were organized, we exported little If any
| railroad supplies excepting to Canada
and to Cuba. Years ago, the elevated
| railroad systems of New York were OPP
| Grated by little locomotive engines and
| it was with Russell Sage, the chief OBJ
stable to the changing of the elevated
| railroad operating methods from locomo-
tives to electricity, that if this were done
| great number of locomotives would
! be sent to the scrap heap. Mr.. Sage was
| mistaken. These locomotives found mar
| kets in all parts of the world. Some of
| them operate railroads in Cuba and some
| are reported to be operating railroads in
| Brazil. This was the first heavy export
| of American locomotives.
| In the fiscal year of 1916, our locomo-
| tive manufacturers sold to foreign coun-
| tries locomotives of the money value,
round numbers, of $12,000000, whereas in
the fiscal year of 1914 the money value
of locomotives sold to other countries
was only $3,7O0,00o.
| Our manufacturers are also selling in
| large amounts engine parts of all kinds
| and were able in South America to meet
| severe English competition for material
| Of that kind. The chief item in our
| export of railroad supplies in the fiscal
| year of 1916 was railroads cars, curiously
enough considerable part of which went
\ to Europe. These We're all freight cars.
| Our money value of the export of rail-
nr,Ii nm
| 30 was $26,GOQ000 round numbers, and
| this was more than twice as much as
the money value of the exports for the
| fiscal year of 1914.
OUR STEEL RAILS
| American steel rails have gained great
| favor in some parts of the world. This
! equipment has been one of the chief
! epochs of the foreign sales depart
ment placing in foreign markets Amer
| lean made commodities. A little over so
| years ago, the United States was inn
! porting all of it's steel rails The Penn
| sylvania railroad was the first railroad
| company to import steel rails and the
| consignment which it received from Great
Britain on that first order was laid upon
| the roadbed of a part of the Pennsylva-
MIA system that went to Pittsburg. Now
\ the United States Is competing with Eng
| land in the markets of the world for
4 rails, and the manufacturers sold in the
year 1916 rails of the money value of
nearly SIS, 900, 900, or $S,000,O00 more than
| they sold in the fiscal year of 1914.
BUILDING WORLDS RAILROADS
J 1t is the belief in the financial district
/, that after the European war has ended
| the United States will be called upon
| to furnish railroad equipment and sup
1 plies the aggregate amount of which will
| hn lor0 md will
| the chief items in our list of exports.
| In South America and in Russia we
| are sure to sell many electric locomo-
| tives The success of the test made by
| the Northern Pacific Railroad company
| in equpping nearly 45O miles of its track
| with electric apparatus, the section ex-
| tending over four ranges of mountains
| has reached the ears of South American
| railroad builders. Both of the American
manufacturers of electric locomotives
| have found satisfactory markets in South
| America. Both the locomotive plant al
| Schenectady and the Westinghouse plant
| at Pittsburg have obtained large business
| in South America.
| South America has been especially in
| terested in the development of electric
| railroads and when conditions become
| financially settled there is likely to be
| great expansion of electric railroad
| building on that continent. In the fis-
| cal year just ended, other nations bought
| of the United States electric locomotives
| of the value of $3.50, 100000 This was
| only a slight increase over the money
| paid to American manufacturers IN 1914
for electric locomotives. There was,
however, suspension of electric railroad
building in South America and other
parts of the world which was occastoned
| by the European war.
| How greatly France depends upon the
| United States for railroad equipment Is
| shown by the fact that in the month OF
June alone there we're exported to France
| steel rails of the money value OF $ll,-
| 00C, OOO Even Spain was in the American
market in the past fiscal year. having
| bought here a number of steam locomo-
tives. Very large supplies of railroad
! material especially freight cars. are be-
ing exported to Russia, most of the ma
| terial going from our Pacific ports.
| Those who are qualified to speak. say
that after the war railroad construc-
| ton in Russia will be carried on as ex-
| tensiyely as it was in the United States
| for few years after the resumption
| of specie payment
Will Investigate Lewis Gun
Washington, September 2+-Secretary
I i 49, hat ., hoo rd