The Hawera Star FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1924. IRON AND STEEL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 October 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1 924. IRON AND STEEL.

Delivered every evening by n o'elor-Ti in Hawera, Manaia, Nnnnanby, Okaiawa, Eltham. Mangarnki. Kaponga. Awatuna, Opunake, Otnkelin. Mannlahi, Alton, Tlnrleyvillr, Paten. Wnverley. Ivloknin, Wl'.akamara, Ohangai, Merernpre, Fraser Road, and Araraia.

” There's nothing like iron” is an old saying, and a very true one. The world finds use for millions of tons of iron enoli year, and recently a British .authority on trade'conditions (Mr \V. A. S. Hewins) wrote a series of articles upon the grave plight of the British iron and steel industry. .\lr Hewins in a review gives some very interesting facts and figures. in 1740 England produced only about 7000 tons of -pig-iron. .From that microscopic figure production increased by leaps and bounds until, in .1872, it reached 0,742.000 tons, or about half the world's output. But in later venr s the increase took place with a diminishing rate of acceleration, and after 1572. the figures seemed to suggest that Great Britain was nearing her maximum limit. In 1880 she was still ahead of all other countries, but in the next de-

cade she lost her predominant position, and when Mr Chamberlain began hi: tariff reform campaign in 1903 she w;i: well in the third place, with the United States more than nine million tons and Germany a million tons in excess oi British production. With characteristic optimism, British producers declined to be impressed, observes Mr Hewins, with the figures which Mr Chamberlain put before them, and thought, that England would “muddle through’’ and quickly regain the supremacy she had lost. But between 1903 and 1913 the disparity between the British, the American and the German production became still more marked. In the latter year the production of the United States was over 30 million tons, that of Germany 19 million, and that of Great Bri tain only 10 million tons. Since th. termination of the war Great Britain has fallen relatively further behind the United States being now in the lead with an annual production of forty million tons, while Great Britain’s production has shrunk to seven and rt.-hn.lf million tons. In relation to steel the figures show very much the sam'e position as in respect to iron. Great Britain produced in 1923 only between eleven and twelve per cent, of the world’s output, as compared with nearly sixty per cent, produced by the United States. When it is remembered that, the iron and steel industry is the key industry of practically all manufacturing and production, and that its maintenance is considered absolutely fundamental to the defence and security of the country, the broadly unsatisfactory character of the situation is thrown in obvious relief. Mr Hewins’ desire is that the British output, shall be greatly increased and that our na■tion shall recover the lost ground. Obviously the nation which controls the world’s iron and steel has a great source of power at hand in ease of emergency. New Zealand has millions of tons of ironsand on her coast, but hitherto it has not been found possible to extract the iron satisfactorily, but probably the time will come when some means will be- found that will make operations payable. Recently the iron industry has been taken qp near Nelson, and. the Department of Labour in its annual report states that it is anticipated .that, the works will be able to meet New Zealand’s present requirements when they are in full swing. New Zealand’s output will help in the New Zealand’s output, will help in a little way in the total Empire production, which it is hoped will be greatly increased in the next few years.