Show UNITED STATES FACES COMPETITION Secretary of o Labor Davis on his visit to Utah two weeks ago said the th Iron and steel Industry of America was In need of ot protection protection protection tion The Wall Street Journal i with the subject and noting t the increase ass of ot Importations at foreign pig pic lg Iron and steel prod prod- products products which havo have doubled In the II 1 st It t year ear totaling tons In inthe the tho last half halt of ot the fiscal year says A year ago aeo India was the lead lead- leading ing exporter o of pig pit Iron to the United Stat States s Now Germany has forged forced to the he head d with the th I United Kingdom a 0 clo o second bile bUe India Is relegated ted to third place with France France trailing behInd I In fourth position But Dut France I Is by no means an Insignificant factor In the trade i France Franc Is becoming b of ioe fug ing importance as a II producer of Iron and steel and Is li moreover selling these products both at athorn home and abroad In the fIrst j six months of ot this year she pro pro- produced 1 metric tons of pig Iron and of ot steel ingots and castings This com com- compares pares with tons tons of ot pig lg and of ot steel a year rear ago The fhe department of ot commerce states than on July 1 France Franc had operation operation blast furnaces in 21 2 more ready to blow in and 37 under construction France has been heen sending cast pipe here her In some quantity while Belgium's contribution is I largely rolled products bars shapes and ral rails being the prin principal Cipal items In lu fact Belgium fur as much rail business as 86 Germany and Holland together It ItIs Ili Is Id a strange fact also alio that seY sev eral of these European countrIes Import wire from the United States make malto It into heddles and ship the tho finished product back here for lor use In the th textile textile Indus try Undoubtedly the th depreciated depreciated t c currencies in France Franco and Belgium r J have hav contributed to the th Increased Increase Iti exports to the United States It Itt Itt I t 1 i 1 true also that foreign countries s cannot hope to find anything but buta buta buix a limited market in this country for iron and steel products There ThenIs is therefore nothing to be b seen in It the fIgures that can be construed as a permanent threat to our In- In Industries industries in industries They do d show show show however that foreign producers are ar eagerly searching the markets of the world for outlets In a way that hat In Ina ina Ina a few years will call for the best that Is In American enterprise to I meet them I The Tho Journal rives cs the right thought It is Js not protection theiron the theIron I Iron and steel plants require They need the he stimulus of ot competition to keep them in first place In the worlds world's trade rivalry n nu u |