AMERICA'S-TRADE "PUSH"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 10, 7 October 1919, Page 3

AMERICA'S-TRADE "PUSH"

; BRITAIN WEAKENED BY DEAIi COAL .' The- American trade' invasion" of England "which--has' been carefully'planned, to take place us soon as the British import restrictions order comes to an end on September 1, will receive tremendous assistance from -the high price of coal, says tile "Daily Express." Mr. W. A. Appleton, secretary to the General Federation of' Trade Unions,' has obtained a series ot' comparative prices,. British and American, of certain iron and steel ma* terials, the British costs allowing for tho increase «f 6s. a ton on coal. Tho comparison is as under: — England. America. ■ i;. • • £ -s. d. X s. d. Rails (per ton) ...... 17 10 0 10 0 0 Ship plates (per ton) 19 0 0 14 0 0 Crown bars (per ton) 22 10 U 11 15 0 Pig .iron (per tofo) . 9 0 0 COO It. is regarded as certain that the American agents will at no distant date export, coal to this country" to undersell coal obtained from the home collieries.

"As far back as last autumn," Mr. Appleton writes ill the "Democrat," j;he semi-ollicial paper of the General Federation, ' "Frank Hayes, president . of . the. Miners' Federation of America, more statesman than politician, came to Europe witli an experienced colleague for> the purpose of discussion with President 'Wilson'the best means of opening Euro, pean markets to American coal. What' these .two nien achieved may bo gathered, from the text of the 'cable they sent, homo: 'Mission success. Everything that can be done has been i promised our. Government representative at Paris/' These Americans know that enterprise, brains and hard work are the only real sources of success." , _ , Leaders of trade unions in England are endeavouring generally to encourage increased output in all industries, for they realise-that bigger output is tho onl'v sure defence against the invasion from the United States. . .. _ . Here is what an American, writing in the "Iron Age" for an American public, lias to. say about us and our attitude to work:— . , . . "Tho British blast,furnaces aud,steel mills have not lost such efficiency , as' they had before the war, while is. the: United States there has been no material inoreaso in plant efficiency. In both countries tho men employed are much' tho same as bofore the war. Some change,; however, must have occurred. 'Apparently that change is, speaking broadly, that tho quantity of work done by the men' for a certain amount ,ot' pay has decreased more in Britain th«n in tho United States. ... "By tho majority of those who Tefiect--ed on what was likely to occur aftortho; war, the notion was held that every one,, from the most influential to the humblest, would be eager'to rebuild and rccon* struct the world, encouraged by the pros-; pect of a better world, for wlycb the war was fought. Better and harder work by the individual was expected. "If has been learned lately that .the oxpcctcd mental attitude docs not obtain, aiid there exists what amounts to a desire to live at somebody elso'fl expense. "Such a condition could be borne much better by tho United States than by. Britain or France. The United States' has grown riclicr; nnd Afhita it would bo imprudent to use our riches to havo a good time, tho thing could bo dono while tho riches lasted. Britain and Franco cannot do that because they havo grown poorer; yet their workmen desire to do that very thing."