Yankee Push.

Manawatu Herald, 6 April 1899, Page 2

Yankee Push.

Some days ago a cable message was received staling th.it an American firm (the Pencoyd Ironworks Company of Philadelphia) had contracted to deliver the ironwork for the military bridge over the Atbara river, in the Soudan, within six weeks. The time allowed was so short that it was suspected that a mistake in transmission had oc- ; curred. It proves, however, that the ' Yankee ironmasters are going to be even as smart as the cable suggested.-^ The following extract from a letter** written by Lord Belhaven, who is now in Egypt for the benefit of his health, appears in an English paper : — " I have been thinking very much lately about the great loss of trade in iron and steel bridges which is' now going on, and which I hear about constantly in this country. I have conversed with several engineers employed both •- on the military and Egyptian Government railways, and they complain that they cannot get any bridges or locomotives from England or Scotland within a reasonable time. Here is a case in point. Before. Christmas the Sirdar determined to have a permanent bridge over the • Atbara built before the next Nile floods, which come down in July. He asked for tenders in England and Scotland, and they conld not supply the bridge for periods (in the different offers) of from six to twelve months, being so full of orders. He then telegraphed to America (United States)* and got a promise that the whole bridge should be on board in six weeks. The same thing happened about locomotives for the military railway, 3ft 6in gauge, Some were put on board in six weeks, also in the United States.' Now, here are the Cape, Uganda, Egypt, India, China, and probably many more countries crying out for iron and steel bridges, and all our factories are too full of orders. Consequently the work goes to America and Belgium. And this is not a mometary boom, but just ,■> the first flood of orders, which will in r all probability (I might say for a certainty) last for years,":rr-Ppst.