The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-06-25
steel. Imports
Continued From Page OreJ

represented about 90 20.
Hence with 1890 of the worlds cap
acity, we had at home in 1885 but 30 &c
of the worlds consumption. On this
basis alone we are justified in seeking
to preserve, as far as possible, our own
markets for our mills and workers. A
recent estimate of the American Iron
and Steel Institute shows that during
the past five years We have averaged
only 34Go, of the worlds production,
which is the lowest since the fiVe-year
period ending 1897. In 1919 We pro-
duced 600 and in 1928 per cent.
The steel exports of the other chief
steel producing countries are, of course,
a much greater proportion of their pro-
duction than is the case in the United
States where less than 4 per cent of our
production is currently exported in the
form of steel mill products. From Ger
many, France and the United King
dom, the PERCENTAGE of exports ranged
from 80 to 40 per cent, whereas from
Belgium and Luxembourg it is much
higher, probably rs per cent of their
total production.
But what We are concerned with is
not the percentages nor the amount Of
the exports of these chief producing
countries, but the amount they export
into our domestic market to the detri-
ment of our own operations and inter-
fering with the ability of our employees
to secure additional employment.
Let us compare our direct exports to
the leading steel producing countries
and our direct imports from them. The
figures will be those for the year 1885.
1St-The United Kingdom took about
1880 gross tons of steel products from
from the United Kingdom $4,000 tons.
Endurance and the Saar shipped
$4,000 tons to us and We shipped them
an insignificant quantity of 1900 tons.
3rd-Germany shipped to us last
year $4,000 tons. In return we shipped
to them 400 tons.
4th-Belgium and Luxembourg in 1884
shipped here $1,000 tons and this figure
rose to $4,000 tons in 1885. We shipped
to that country 1000 tons in 1884 and
last year only 1900 tons.
1t has recently been reported that
japanese steel makers have joined the
ranks of eXorters and are directing their
attention to our Pacific Coast markets
offering there a wide range of common
steel products. Steel importations from
Japan have been negligible up to the
present time. Our government has re-
Gently found it necessary to increase the
duties on cotton textiles because Ameri-
can mills are unable to compete with
the cheap japanese material. The
United States Tariff Commission re-
ports about $50 of the operatives in
the entire japanese cotton textile in
duStry are females mostly between IA
and Is years old.
Our total importationS of iron and
steel products in 1884 were 272, 1863 tons
of which 115,470 tons was pig iron.
In 1885, importationS rose to 4O5 POI
tons of which 130,937 tons was pig iron.
This is an increase in one year of some
500, a figure sufficiently important to
be alarming. In the first three months
of the present year the increase over
the first quarter of 1885 is 245 % on
pig iron and $50 on rolled and finished
steel products, which indicates that the
growth of this movement still continues.
The most significant increases seem to
be in pig iron, nails and wire products,
structural shapes, bars and pipe.
Let us for a moment compare for a
few steel items the import duties i'm
posed when entering the United States
markets with those imposed when en-
tering the home markets of these other
chief steel producing countries.
RAILS BARB WIRE BARS
Duty Duty Duty
per gross ton per lib per lib
United States
$224 free Csc
United Kingdom
20 pets 20 pct ad val. 20 pct. ad val.
France
1882 2.4c Csc (annroy
Germany
1925 Zoe Csc (anprox
About $500 per ton
Yet We are reputed to have a high
protective tariff.
AS we all know, labor costs represent
some SIS per cent to 60 per cent of the
cost of producing steel.
In these chief steel producing
countries average labor rates compare
about as follows:
United States, .... SIC per hour
United Kingdom, .. Csc per hour
france, ..................20 zoe per hour
Belglun, tic per hour
Germany, .26c per hour
lnola, .................... &c per hour
What are We going to do to combat
this situation? Unless there is a marked
change in the general industrial activity
In Europe, the amount of steel shipped
INTO this country promises to continue
TO increase rather than to decrease.
Our immigration laws wisely prevent
the influx of cheap foreign labor as a.
protection to the American workman,
but when steel is produced abroad with
cheap foreign labor and is shipped into
our market at low prices, depriving our
mills of an equivalent tonnage and
transferring the labor to foreign
countries instead of having the work
being performed here, it is looked upon
by some economists as a boon to Ameri-
can industry. But We, in the steel in
dustry, who have felt this cheap COM
petition, and the steel worker who has
been deprived of employment, feel diff
ferently.
How did this picture appear to you
gentlemen of the steel industry in the
year 1882 when European bars and
structural shapes were offered in this
market at 1c per pound delivered along