A POSER FOR THE PESSIMISTS.

Motueka Star, Volume I, Issue 39, 24 December 1901, Page 4

A POSER FOR THE PESSIMISTS.

A recent issue of “Commercial Intelligence” contains an article -on American competition in the iron and steel trades which the professional pessimist will read with much discomfort. The method of the article is simple in the extreme. The British exports of iron and steel goods are taken in detail, and compared, as far as possible, with the corresponding exports of American goods. The results are striking. Take, first, the question of locomotives, which has so much troubled Lord George Hamilton. Bo far from the Americans beating us, it appears that during the first eight m nfchs of the present year the American export of locomotives was only £610,000, against a British export of £1,145,000. Taking next all forms of steam engine an 1 of machinery, it will be found that the American total was only £6,046,000, against a British total of £13,102,000. The same general comparison holds good for iron and steel goods in a less finished state. It will be found that the American export was only £1,709,000, against a British export of £2,159,000. Finally if we take the totals of all iron and steel goods of every description, we find that the American export this year was only valued at £13,869,000, against a total British export of £35,866,000. There figures hardly look as if Brother Jonathan was yet able to drive John Bull out of the field, or even to catch him up sufficiently.