Show Wf LEAD THE WORLD IN IRON N COMIG nUSTRI po SION L BY ARICA The Inmig Nations of Euope Startled By the Rapid Growth of This Counts Output New York Sun America is now the greatest iron maker among the nations In four yeas her yearly output of iron are has increased 5000000 tons overreaching the worlds production of three decades ago her import of pig iron ha dwin ao died to nothing her export has increased in-creased tenfold her imports of iron and steel have been cut in two and her exports of iron and steel have doubled Now the greatest ironmaker America by great stride 1s taking her rightful place with the ironmaking nations of Europe in the iron trade of the world England and Germany for a century the ironmaster of the world the one now slowly losing her grip on the worlds iron trade and the other as slowly gaining are amazed by the complete com-plete reversal of Americas foreign trade within to decades The London Economist one of the many journals which are discussing the serious question of Amerlca usurpation usurpa-tion of Englands supremacy in the irol trade commenting on the incre sing cost of raw material says I must be remembered for how long n period the mines in this country have been worked The output of black band are in Scotland has been decreasing decreas-ing for yeas past and the greater par tion of the pig iron now made in that district is from foreign ores Cleveland which ha been one of the most prolific districts in the country ha now been worked nearly fifty years and the best are having been taken out frt we may soon have to fall back on the poorer and consequently costlier kinds England foresees theresUlt of Americas Amer-icas great iron production The Economist Econ-omist in another Issuq says A the production ff Great Britain cannot very readily be extended owing to the difficulty of obtaining ore it seems probable that the United States will have to supply the bulk of the additional ad-ditional 3000000 tons of pig iron which are likely to be required during the next three year Germany is the only been incs other country which ha I ing its output to any extent but this has only been at the rate of 300000 to 400000 ton per annum on the average During the past ten year the production ducton of pig iron in thIs country ha been comparatively stationary never exceeding seven to nine miion tons during the periods of greatest activity whereas in the United States during the same time the production fluctuated fluctuat-ed between three million tons in 1879 and ten million in 1897 and toda the production Is at the rte of eleven million lon ton per annum American pig iron is gaining a foothold I foot-hold in England and before long will I b gOing across in great quantities The inexhaustible supply the lower cost of production and the cheaper freight I rates in this country mae it possible I for ou ironmakers to enter European markets with profit America is only making a begInning In the iron and steel export trade The bulk of the S5OOOOOO of export this year will be machinery American ma chIner is now known the world over and is crowding English and German machinery in all the get markets Englands 80000000 worth of machinery machin-ery exports will very soon be equaled by the United States Germany is already ready in third place American machinery ma-chinery will take care of itself American iron and steel are booming in the fa east Our nails have taken the place of the German and B lgia Jut now steamer for China are so well loaded with American products that the ironmaers cant get freight room Recently an order came from Australia for 400 tons of steel plates The manufacturers I I man-ufacturers find that wherever our iron and steel products go there is very soon The buy I a demand for them foreign era had a bite of our good wares as one maker of structural iron put it and they want more Nothing can keep this country out of the iron trade of the world but high prices at home and they do not seem probable so great is the production of iron We have been keeping ninetenths of our iron and steel at home The percentage of exports ex-ports must steadily rise England ex norts 35 ncr cent ot her finished iron nd stel and 18 per cent of her pig I iron Germany exports 20 per cent of her finished iron and steel Belgium 47 per cent The Belgians are as badly alarmed as the English over the wonderful American advance in the iron trade The Belgian ironmastels association I I in its report for the year says this I about American competition One of the most characteristic and at the same time most alarming features has been the tures of the pat year invasion by American competition not only of Canada Mexico South and Central America India Australia and Japan but ao of Europe and even our oldest ironproducing countrIes In the future we shall be compelled to figure with a compeUt9n which four or fie years ago appeared altogether improbable Indeed the Americans protested so strongly against lower import im-port duties on iron and rails and feign ed so great a apprehension that European Euro-pean products would invade their mark mar-k t that they were not believed capable cap-able to compete successfully in foreign markets and far less in the markets of Europe Now we have to bow before be-fore a reality and there would be no use in barren recrimination I would be better to look for the means to fight the new competition which threatens us These means would be the increasing increas-ing of capacity and thereby cheapening cheapen-ing the cost of production cheaper ore and especially lower freight rates all things that have put the American iron industry on such a strong footing Coincident with our rise as an iron making nation must be our progress In shipbuilding We lead the world in every on of iron and steel constrUe ton except shipbuilding and we must regain our hold there Ironmakers say that our export trade depends on our merchane marine Andrew Carnegie point out that a shipbuijer in Amer la has 4 a ton advantage in steel ma S tonal What is the use of sending thousands thou-sands ill tons pf steel to Glasgow and Belfast as were doing nov when we might a l build the ships here and send them 1 asks Mr Carnegie in the Iron Age Steel is bound to be cheaper in this country than in any oUler Great Brian has no supply of raw mate alto al-to make steel her coal is getting dear r her ore is nearly exhausted Ve can nevethJe to hav such shii1ng facilities a Britain because Britain imports so mUch of bulky goods from various parts of the world which vc fortunately grow at home Therefore Britains ships get return cargoes and the rates will be cheaper But even this disadvantage we ca overcome in the lower cost of our manfactures I we Culd restore to the United States its rightful osiUbn as the shipbulder Of the world our attention would soon be directed to the establishing of regular regu-lar steamship lines and this obstacle would fade away Even now the ex pDrttrade is becoming of such magnitude magni-tude as to justify several new steamship steam-shIp 1nes and we wil conquer by an by I have been urging the Import ante of a shipbuilding yard In New York and it Is bound to come Caital I will see that there is a good chance for i since steel and woodwork are both I cheaperin New York than In Belast and on the Clyde S i |